CN114765847B

CN114765847B - RRC inactivity positioning SRS network assisted transmit power control mechanism

Info

Publication number: CN114765847B
Application number: CN202210040670.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘建国; 陶涛; 孟艳
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2021-01-15
Filing date: 2022-01-14
Publication date: 2023-11-14
Anticipated expiration: 2042-01-14
Also published as: WO2022151354A1; CN114765847A

Abstract

A method, comprising: collecting information from a user equipment or at least one network node related to configuration of positioning assistance information for said user equipment; determining a rule of one or more transmit power control parameters for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactivity state for the user equipment based on the collected information; transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameter signaling to the user equipment or the at least one network node; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

Description

RRC inactivity positioning SRS network assisted transmit power control mechanism

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims priority from PCT patent application PCT/CN2021/072167 filed on 1/15 of 2021. The contents of this prior application are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Technical Field

The various example and non-limiting embodiments relate generally to communications and, more particularly, relate to a network assisted transmit power control mechanism for locating SRS (sounding reference signal) in RRC (radio resource control) inactive state.

Background

It is known to implement power saving techniques for User Equipment (UE) in a communication network.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one aspect, a method includes: collecting information from a user equipment or at least one network node related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment; determining a rule of one or more transmit power control parameters for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactivity state for the user equipment based on the collected information; transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameter signaling to the user equipment or the at least one network node; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

According to one aspect, a method includes: providing capability information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment; based on the provided capability information, receiving rules related to one or more transmit power control parameters for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state of the user equipment; wherein the rule is received from a location management function or at least one network node; and based on the rule, determining one or more transmit power control parameters for transmitting the positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state.

According to one aspect, a method includes: providing information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for a user equipment; receiving signals related to the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters based on the provided information; and transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

According to one aspect, an apparatus comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: collecting information from a user equipment or at least one network node related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment; determining a rule of one or more transmit power control parameters for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactivity state for the user equipment based on the collected information; and transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameter signaling to the user equipment or the at least one network node; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

According to one aspect, an apparatus comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: providing capability information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment; based on the provided capability information, receiving rules related to one or more transmit power control parameters used by the user equipment to locate reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state; wherein the rule is received from a location management function or at least one network node; and determining one or more transmit power control parameters for transmitting the positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

According to one aspect, an apparatus comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: providing information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for a user equipment; receiving signals related to the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters based on the provided information; and transmitting the rule and one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

According to one aspect, an apparatus comprises: means for collecting information from a user equipment or at least one network node related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment; means for determining rules for one or more transmit power control parameters of the user equipment for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state based on the collected information; and means for signaling rules and one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment or at least one network node; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

According to one aspect, an apparatus comprises: means for providing capability information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for a user equipment; means for receiving rules related to one or more transmit power control parameters used by the user equipment to locate reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state based on the provided capability information, wherein the rules are received from a location management function or at least one network node; and determining one or more transmit power control parameters for transmitting a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

According to one aspect, an apparatus comprises: means for providing information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for a user equipment; means for receiving signals related to the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters based on the provided information; means for transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

According to one aspect, there is provided a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for performing operations comprising: collecting information from a user equipment or at least one network node related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment; determining a rule of one or more transmit power control parameters for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactivity state for the user equipment based on the collected information; transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameter signaling to the user equipment or the at least one network node; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

According to one aspect, there is provided a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for performing operations comprising: providing capability information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment; based on the provided capability information, receiving rules related to one or more transmit power control parameters of the user equipment for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state; wherein the rule is received from a location management function or at least one network node; and determining one or more transmit power control parameters for transmitting the positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

According to one aspect, there is provided a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for performing operations comprising: providing information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for a user equipment; receiving signals related to the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters based on the provided information; transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

Drawings

The foregoing aspects and other features are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting system in which the exemplary embodiments may be practiced.

Fig. 2 illustrates the effect of UE mobility on uplink power control for positioning SRS at FR 1.

Fig. 3 is an example flow chart of network assisted transmit power control for positioning SRS in RRC inactive state based on examples described herein.

Fig. 4 is an apparatus configured to implement a network assisted transmit power control mechanism for positioning SRS in an RRC inactive state based on examples described herein.

Fig. 5 illustrates a methodology that facilitates network assisted transmit power control mechanisms for positioning SRS in an RRC inactive state based on examples described herein.

Fig. 6 illustrates another method of implementing a network assisted transmit power control mechanism for positioning SRS in RRC inactive state based on examples described herein.

Fig. 7 illustrates another method of implementing a network assisted transmit power control mechanism for positioning SRS in RRC inactive state based on examples described herein.

Detailed Description

The following acronyms and abbreviations that may be found in the specification and/or drawings are defined as follows:

4G: fourth generation

5G: fifth generation of

5GC:5G core network

Alpha: compensation factor

AMF: access and mobility management functions

ASIC: application specific integrated circuit

CG: configuration authorization

CU: central or centralized units

DL: downlink link

DL-AoD: angle of departure of downlink

DL-PTS: downlink partial transmit sequence

DL-RS: downlink reference signals

DL-TDOA: downlink time difference of arrival

DM-RS: demodulation reference signal

DSP: digital signal processor

DU: distributed unit

eNB: evolved node B (e.g., LTE base station)

EN-DC: E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity

en-gNB: providing NR user plane and control plane protocol terminated nodes to a UE and acting as auxiliary nodes in EN-DC

E-UTRA: evolved universal terrestrial radio access, i.e. LTE radio access technology

F1: control interface between CU and DU

And (3) FPGA: field programmable gate array

FR1: frequency range 1

gNB: base station for 5G/NR, i.e. providing NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations to a UE and being connected to a node of a 5GC via an NG interface

IE: information element

I/F: interface

IIoT or (I) IoT: industrial Internet of things

I/O: input/output

Info: information processing system

IoT: internet of things

LCS: location services

LMC: position management component

LMF: position management function

LMU: position measuring unit

LPP: LTE positioning protocol

LTE: long term evolution (4G)

MAC: media access control

MIB: main information block

MME: mobile management entity

Multi-RTT: multi-cell round trip time

NG or NG: new generation of

ng-eNB: new generation eNB

NG-RAN: new generation wireless access network

NR: new air port (5G)

NRPPa: NR positioning protocol A

N/W: network system

P0: target received power

PBCH: physical broadcast channel

PDCP: packet data convergence protocol

PHY: physical layer

PRS: positioning reference signal

QoS: quality of service

RACH: random access channel

RAN: wireless access network

RAT: wireless access technology

Rel or Rel-release (version)

RLC radio link control

RNA: notification area based on radio access network

RRC: radio resource control (protocol)

RRH: remote radio head

RS: reference signal

RSRP: reference signal received power

RU: radio unit

Rx: receivers or receivers

SDAP: service data adaptation protocol

SGW: service gateway

SI: learning item

SRS: sounding reference signal

SSB: synchronous signal block

TPC: transmission power control

TRP: transmitting and receiving points

TS: technical specification of

Tx: transmitter or transmission

UE: user equipment (e.g., wireless, typically mobile device)

UL: uplink channel

UL-AoA: angle of arrival of uplink

ULPC: uplink power control

UL-TDOA: uplink time difference of arrival

UPF: user plane functionality

Xn: xn network interface

Referring to fig. 1, a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example of these examples may be practiced. User Equipment (UE) 110, radio Access Network (RAN) node 170, and network element 190 are illustrated. In the example of fig. 1, a User Equipment (UE) 110 is in wireless communication with a wireless network 100. The UE is a wireless device that may access the wireless network 100. UE 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected by one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver Rx 132 and a transmitter Tx 133. One or more of buses 127 may be an address, data, or control bus, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optic or other optical communications device, or the like. One or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. The one or more memories 125 include computer program code 123.UE 110 includes a module 140, which module 140 includes one or both of components 140-1 and/or 140-2 that may be implemented in a variety of ways. The module 140 may be implemented in hardware as the module 140-1, such as being implemented as part of one or more processors 120. The module 140-1 may also be implemented as an integrated circuit or by other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the module 140 may be implemented as a module 140-2, the module 140-2 being implemented as the computer program code 123 and executed by the one or more processors 120. For example, the one or more memories 125 and the computer program code 123 may be configured to, with the one or more processors 120, cause the user device 110 to perform one or more operations as described herein. UE 110 communicates with RAN node 170 via wireless link 111. Modules 140-1 and 140-2 may be configured to implement the functionality of a UE as described herein.

RAN node 170 in this example is a base station that provides access to wireless network 100 through a wireless device, such as UE 110. RAN node 170 may be, for example, a base station for 5G, also referred to as a new air interface (NR). In 5G, RAN node 170 may be a NG-RAN node, which is defined as a gNB or NG-eNB. The gNB is a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations to the UE and is connected to a 5GC (such as, for example, network element 190) via an NG interface. The NG-eNB is a node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and connects to the 5GC over the NG interface. The NG-RAN node may include a plurality of gnbs, which may also include a Central Unit (CU) (gNB-CU) 196 and Distributed Units (DUs) (gNB-DUs) showing DUs 195 therein. Note that DU 195 may include or be coupled to and control a Radio Unit (RU). The gNB-CU 196 is a logical node that hosts Radio Resource Control (RRC), SDAP, and PDCP protocols of the gNB or RRC and PDCP protocols of the en-gNB that control the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. gNB-CU 196 terminates in an F1 interface connected to gNB-DU 195. The F1 interface is shown as reference numeral 198, although reference numeral 198 also illustrates links between remote elements of RAN node 170 and centralized elements of RAN node 170, such as links between gNB-CU 196 and gNB-DU 195. NB-DU 195 is a logical node that hosts the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers of the gNB or engNB, and its operation is controlled in part by gNB-CU 196. One gNB-CU 196 supports one or more cells. One cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 195. gNB-DU 195 terminates in an F1 interface 198 connected to gNB-CU 196. Note that DU 195 is considered to include transceiver 160, e.g., as part of an RU, but some examples thereof may have transceiver 160 as part of a separate RU, e.g., under control of DU 195 and connected to DU 195. RAN node 170 may also be an eNB (evolved NodeB) base station, for LTE (long term evolution), or any other suitable base station or node.

RAN node 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces (N/WI/F (s)) 161, and one or more transceivers 160 interconnected by one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver Rx 162 and a transmitter Tx 163. One or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158. The one or more memories 155 include computer program code 153.CU196 may include a processor 152, a memory 155, and a network interface 161. Note that DU 195 may also contain its own one or more memories and processors and/or other hardware, but these are not shown.

RAN node 170 includes a module 150, which module 150 includes one or both of components 150-1 and/or 150-2 that may be implemented in a variety of ways. The module 150 may be implemented in hardware as the module 150-1, such as being implemented as part of one or more processors 152. The module 150-1 may also be implemented as an integrated circuit or by other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, module 150 may be implemented as module 150-2, which is implemented as computer program code 153 and executed by one or more processors 152. For example, the one or more memories 155 and the computer program code 153 are configured to, with the one or more processors 152, cause the RAN node 170 to perform one or more operations as described herein. Note that the functionality of module 150 may be distributed, such as between DU 195 and CU196, or implemented in DU 195 alone. Modules 150-1 and 150-2 may be configured to implement the functionality of the base station described herein. Such functionality of the base station may include Location Management Functions (LMFs) implemented based on the functionality of the LMFs described herein. Such an LMF may also be implemented as a Location Management Component (LMC) within RAN node 170.

One or more network interfaces 161 communicate over a network such as via links 176 and 131. Two or more gnbs 170 may communicate using, for example, links 176. Link 176 may be wired or wireless or both, and may implement, for example, an Xn interface for 5G, an X2 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards.

The one or more buses 157 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optic or other optical communications devices, wireless channels, etc. For example, one or more transceivers 160 may be implemented as a Remote Radio Head (RRH) 195 for LTE or a Distributed Unit (DU) 195 for a 5G gNB implementation, while other elements of RAN node 170 may be physically in a different location than RRH/DU 195, and one or more buses 157 may be implemented in part as, for example, fiber optic cables or other suitable network connections to connect other elements of RAN node 170 (e.g., central Unit (CU), gNB-CU 196) to RRH/DU 195. Reference numeral 198 also indicates those suitable network links.

It should be noted that the description herein refers to "cells" performing functions, but it should be clear that the devices forming the cells may perform these functions. The cell forms part of a base station. That is, there may be multiple cells per base station. For example, a single carrier frequency and associated bandwidth may have three cells, each covering one third of a 360 degree area, so the coverage area of a single base station covers approximately an ellipse or circle. Further, each cell may correspond to one carrier, and one base station may use multiple carriers. So if there are three 120 degree cells per carrier and two carriers, the base station has a total of 6 cells.

The wireless network 100 may include one or more network elements 190, which may include core network functionality, and provide connectivity to other networks via one or more links 181, such as a telephone network and/or a data communication network (e.g., the internet). Such core network functions of 5G may include Location Management Functions (LMF) and/or access and mobility management functions (AMF (S)) and/or user plane functions (UPF (S)) and/or Session Management Functions (SMF). Such core network functions of LTE may include MME (mobility management entity)/SGW (serving gateway) functions. These are merely example functions that the network element 190 may support, and note that both 5G and LTE functions may be supported. RAN node 170 is coupled to network element 190 via link 131. Link 131 may be implemented as, for example, an NG interface for 5G, or an S1 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards. The network element 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (N/WI/F (s)) 180 interconnected by one or more buses 185. The one or more memories 171 include computer program code 173. The one or more memories 171 and the computer program code 173 are configured to, with the one or more processors 175, cause the network element 190 to perform one or more operations, such as the functions of the LMF described herein. In some examples, a single LMF may serve a large area of hundreds of base stations.

The wireless network 100 may implement network virtualization, a process that combines hardware and software network resources and network functions into a single, software-based management entity, a virtual network. Network virtualization involves platform virtualization, typically in combination with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is divided into: externally, combining a number of networks or portions of networks into a virtual unit; or internal, which provides network-like functionality for software containers on a single system. Note that the virtualized entity resulting from network virtualization is still implemented to some extent using hardware such as processors 152 or 175 and memories 155 and 171, and that such virtualized entity also produces technical effects.

Computer readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology such as semiconductor based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. Computer readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be devices for performing a storage function. Processors 120, 152, and 175 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and may include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. Processors 120, 152, and 175 may be devices for performing the following functions: such as controlling UE 110, RAN node 170, network element 190, and other functions as described herein.

In general, the various embodiments of the user device 110 may include, but are not limited to, devices such as smart phones, tablet computers, personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) having wireless communication capabilities, portable computers having wireless communication capabilities, image capture devices such as digital cameras having wireless communication capabilities, gaming devices having wireless communication capabilities, music storage and playback appliances having wireless communication capabilities, internet appliances permitting wireless internet access and browsing, tablet computers having wireless communication capabilities, as well as portable units or terminals that incorporate combinations of such functions.

UE 110, RAN node 170, and/or network element 190 (and associated memory, computer program code, and modules) may be configured to implement the methods described herein, including methods for implementing a network-assisted transmit power control mechanism for positioning SRS in an RRC inactive state. Accordingly, computer program code 123, module 140-1, module 140-2, and other elements/features shown in fig. 1 of UE 110 may implement user equipment related aspects of the methods described herein. Similarly, the computer program code 153, module 150-1, module 150-2, and other elements/features shown in fig. 1 of RAN node 170 may implement the gNB/TRP-related aspects of the methods as described herein. The computer program code 173 and other elements/features shown in fig. 1 of network element 190 may be configured to implement network element related aspects (e.g., LMF related aspects) of the methods as described herein.

Having thus introduced a suitable but non-limiting technical background for the practice of example embodiments, example embodiments will now be described in more detail.

Examples described herein relate to enhanced positioning for Rel-17 NR and higher. The description herein focuses mainly on uplink power control (ULPC) for positioning SRS in the RRC inactive state of FR 1.

In Rel-16, native NR localization support is normalized. Thus, the following positioning solutions are now specified for NR Rel-16: downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), downlink emission angle (DL-AoD), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA), and Multi-cell round trip time (Multi-RTT). In addition, a new SRS for uplink positioning is introduced.

In RAN#86, new SI is approved in terms of positioning enhancement in Rel-17. One of the enhancement functions in question is to support positioning of UEs in RRC inactive state. Positioning in the RRC inactive state has been widely supported and has been currently included as the primary goal for Rel-17 range definition.

In Rel-17 NR, there will be more work on NR localization, mainly focused on IIoT. One goal of this SI is to study the enhancements and solutions needed to support high accuracy (horizontal and vertical), low latency, network efficiency (scalability, RS overhead, etc.), and device efficiency (power consumption, complexity, etc.) requirements for commercial use cases (including general commercial use cases, especially (I) IoT use cases). One example of the use of industrial Internet of things is asset tracking. Asset trackers are a solution for tracking asset locations, which are becoming increasingly important in terms of improved flow and increased flexibility in an industrial environment.

Open loop power control for positioning SRS is supported in Rel-16 NR. The path loss reference RS and spatial relationship information for positioning configured for one SRS resource may be DL RSs from a serving cell or a non-serving cell. Each SRS resource set configures a pathloss reference signal and other power control parameters. Thus, SRS resources in the set for positioning use the same path loss to calculate the transmit power. Details of UL power control for positioning SRS are included in TS 38.213.

In Rel-17 NR, the study of uplink positioning reference signal (e.g., SRS) transmissions in RRC inactive state is agreed to, and the discussion that positioning UEs should configure or pre-configure dedicated SRS resources before entering RRC inactive state will benefit power saving and signaling overhead reduction for UEs, since inactive UEs do not need to change to RRC connected state to receive SRS configuration in RRC inactive state. In general, the spatial relationship of TPC parameters (e.g., P0, alpha, and pathloss reference RS) and SRS for uplink positioning is configured for UEs per SRS resource. Here, the path loss reference RS may be a DL RS from a serving cell or a non-serving cell, which is used to estimate the path loss of transmission of the positioning SRS.

When a UE in an RRC inactive state moves within a RAN-based notification area (RNA), the UE does not need to notify the NG-RAN and perform handover. In this case, mobility may cause some problems for the UE that locates uplink power control of SRS in RRC inactive state.

If the UE moves in RNA, the transmission path loss of the positioning SRS, which is typically estimated based on the path loss reference RS configured for SRS resources, will be ineffective. It is assumed that a path loss reference RS for uplink power control of a positioning SRS is configured with DL RSs from one cell (e.g., a last serving cell) of a UE, and a plurality of LMUs (i.e., position measurement units) are configured to measure SRS from the same resource for UL positioning in RRC inactivity.

In one example, as shown in fig. 2, when UE 110 moves from the coverage of the last serving cell 204 (i.e., location a 212) to the coverage of anchor cell 206 (i.e., location B214), the path loss estimated based on the configured path loss reference RS becomes very large (refer to, for example, path loss B220 as compared to path loss a 218). In this case, on the one hand, the transmission of the positioning SRS causes strong interference to the neighboring devices; on the other hand, positioning SRS output power is large, resulting in UE power consumption is large, which is contrary to the initial purpose of positioning in RRC inactive state.

In another example, as further shown in fig. 2, as UE 110 moves from the cell edge (i.e., location a 212) to the cell center (i.e., location C216), the path loss estimated based on the configured path loss reference becomes very small (refer to, for example, path loss C222 as compared to path loss a 218). And thus UE 110 transmits the positioning SRS at a lower power determined by the estimated pathloss, which would reduce positioning SRS testability at neighboring cells and thus impact positioning performance (e.g., positioning accuracy).

Furthermore, other power control parameters of the positioning SRS, such as P0 and alpha configured in SRS resource set, may have the same problems as the pathloss reference RS when positioning UE 110 moves from one cell to another within RNA 202, e.g., from cell-x 208 to cell-y 210, in an RRC inactive state.

In general, transmit power control parameters such as P0 and Alpha are determined by the network considering inter-cell interference or target QoS. If the UE still uses the power control parameters in the SRS configuration, the transmission of the positioning SRS may cause strong interference to the network or may not meet the positioning requirements (e.g., positioning accuracy).

As disclosed herein, a network assisted TPC parameter determination mechanism for positioning SRS is proposed to solve the mobility induced problem of UE in FR1 in RRC inactive state, which is important for the positioning device (e.g. asset tracking device) to reduce power consumption and processing complexity.

In various exemplary embodiments, a network assisted transmit power control mechanism is presented herein for locating SRS in RRC inactive state with low UE power consumption and complexity while considering UE mobility.

In one example embodiment, the LMF may determine and configure positioning assistance information (e.g., asset tracking tags) for the positioning UE, and then the UE may autonomously determine transmit power control parameters for positioning SRS in RRC inactive state based on rule indications in the positioning assistance information. In view of mobility, the UE does not need to frequently enter an RRC connected state to update the positioning SRS configuration in an RRC inactive state while maintaining a good power control effect, which is advantageous for UE power saving and complexity reduction.

Aspects of the mechanisms described herein are summarized as follows 1-3:

1) The LMF gathers information from the UE or/and the network for configuration of positioning assistance information, including but not limited to: capability, UE path loss, or/and interference information from the network node; capability information from positioning the UE; and/or location requirements from LCS clients.

2) A network configuration rule for the UE to determine a transmit power control parameter for locating the SRS in the RRC inactive state based on the collected information. In one embodiment, the LMF may instruct the positioning UE to transmit the positioning SRS in the RRC inactive state using a set of semi-static power control parameters (e.g., nominal path loss). In another embodiment, the LMF may instruct the positioning UE to autonomously determine a set of power control parameters based on certain metrics (e.g., SSB-RSRP of LMU/TRP, UE power state) to transmit the positioning SRS in RRC inactive state.

Herein, the rules and corresponding parameters may be signaled by the LMF to the UE as positioning assistance information based on the LPP protocol, or the LMF may be signaled to the UE through the gNB after forwarding the assistance information to the gNB, e.g. through the IE SRS-Config signaling. Additionally or alternatively, the positioning assistance information may be sent to the UE in RRC connected state or in RRC inactive state, e.g. by paging or RACH based procedure signaling.

3) The UE autonomously determines power control parameters of the positioning SRS in the RRC inactivity state based on the rule indication. The power control parameters include, but are not limited to, P0, alpha, and path loss for transmitting SRS in RRC inactive state.

In fig. 3, a flow chart 300 for implementing the examples described herein is shown. Fig. 3 illustrates a flow chart 300 of a method in which an LMF 302 configures positioning assistance information for a UE 110 to determine TPC parameters. The method is described below and may be summarized as steps 1-4, steps 308, 314, 316, and 324, respectively, in fig. 3.

Step 1: in step 1, 308, LMF 302 collects capability or/and status information from UE 110 and network 170 for configuration of positioning assistance information.

LMF 302 gathers information from network nodes (e.g., TRP/LMU/gNB, collectively 170) for determining TPC rules and parameters for locating SRS in RRC inactive state, including, for example: i) The path loss between the UE and the network node is located 306, ii) the interference level of the network node 170 (e.g., average interference level or/and target interference level), and/or iii) the capability 307 of the network node 170, e.g., whether downlink synchronization signaling is sent. As one example, LMF 302 may collect the above information from TRP 170 via NRPPa protocol as in Rel-16 NR.

LMF 302 gathers UE capability information 312 to support autonomous transmit power control for positioning in RRC inactive states, including but not limited to: i) A positioning mode indication, which is used to indicate whether UE 110 supports UL positioning in an RRC inactive state. For example, if the positioning mode indication indicates that UE 110 supports uplink positioning in an RRC inactive state, LMF 302 may configure UE 110 to autonomously determine TPC parameters for positioning SRS in the RRC inactive state to save UE power; and/or ii) an indication of a UE power class, which may be used to determine what rules the UE may apply to transmit positioning SRS. For example, LMF 302 may collect UE capability information 312 from positioning UE 110 via the LPP protocol as in Rel-16 NR.

The LMF 302 collects positioning requirements 310 (e.g., accuracy or/and latency) from the LCS client 304 based on existing positioning procedures in Rel-16 NR.

Step 2: in step 2, 314, using the collected capability or/and status information (306/307/310/312), LMF 302 determines rules for UE 110 to determine transmit power control parameters for positioning SRS in RRC inactive state.

In one embodiment (i.e., A1), if, for example, UE 110 is a low power device or TRP 170 does not transmit SSB (i.e., downlink synchronization signal), the network may instruct positioning UE 110 to use the semi-static transmit power control parameter set in the RRC inactive state. Here, the power control parameter set may include at least one of P0, α, and nominal path loss for transmitting the positioning SRS. The network (e.g., LMF 302) may determine the parameter set in consideration of the collected network information (e.g., estimated path loss, interference level, or positioning requirements). As another example, the network (e.g., LMF 302) may determine the nominal path loss value based on the estimated UE path loss collected from TRP 170. For example, LMF 302 may select a median value of estimated path loss values from a plurality of best TRPs (e.g., 3 TRPs) for the UE. For the present embodiment, UE 110 does not need to dynamically estimate pathloss based on configured pathloss reference RSs for UE power saving and further avoids using invalid/unreasonable output power to transmit positioning SRS in RRC inactive state.

In another embodiment (i.e., A2), the network may configure positioning UE 110 to autonomously determine a set of power control parameters for transmitting positioning SRS based on the results of the downlink measurements from TRP 170. As one example, LMF 302 may instruct positioning UE 110 to select one best cell from a list of configured cells (e.g., TRP 170) as a reference cell based on RSRP measured from SSBs or other DL-RSs (e.g., DL-PTS) from TRPs. And then UE 110 may estimate the path loss between the reference cell and UE 110 and use P0 and Alpha (a) read from the PBCH of the reference cell for transmitting the positioning SRS.

In further embodiments (i.e., A3), LMF 302 may configure positioning UE 110 to autonomously select one of the predefined or configured rules for power control parameter determination of positioning SRS based on certain metrics, such as UE power state.

Steps 3 and 4 (items 316 and 324, respectively) are examples of rule designs that enable UE 110 to determine the transmit power parameters of the positioning SRS in the RRC inactive state. Other rules or/and combinations of rules are not precluded from being used with respect to the embodiments described herein.

Step 3: in step 3316, LMF 302 configures rules and corresponding parameters as positioning assistance data for SRS-based uplink positioning.

Some embodiments relating to the configuration of rules and corresponding parameters for locating UE 110 are set forth in detail herein. In one embodiment, as shown by option 1 318 in fig. 3, LMF 302 may directly signal positioning assistance data to positioning UE 110 based on the LPP protocol. In another embodiment, LMF 302 first forwards the positioning assistance data to gNB 170 (e.g., serving/anchoring gNB 204/206 of positioning UE 110) via NRPPa protocol at 320, and then, as shown at 318 of option 2 in fig. 3, gNB 170 configures positioning assistance data to UE 110 at 322 (e.g., via IE SRS-Config).

In one embodiment, the positioning assistance data signaling may be sent to the UE 110 in the RRC connected state, e.g., before the UE 110 enters the RRC inactive state. In another embodiment, the positioning assistance data may be sent to the UE 110 in an RRC inactive state, e.g., based on paging procedure, RACH, or CG-based procedure signaling.

Step 4: in step 4 324, UE 110 receives positioning assistance data from LMF 302 (e.g., via TRP/gNB 170) and then determines how to obtain a transmit power control parameter state for positioning SRS in the RRC inactive state based on the rule indication in the positioning assistance data.

In some examples, LMF 302 may reside within network element 190 shown in fig. 1 and be implemented by computer program code 173. In other examples, LMF 302 resides within module 150 including module 150-1 and/or module 150-2 of RAN node 170. In other examples, LMF 302 resides in another UE similar to UE 110.

Embodiments are further detailed to address example behavior of UEs based on rule indication (numbered 1 to 3 immediately below):

1) If the rule A1 in step 3 is configured for UE 110, then UE 110 uses the configured set of parameters (e.g., P0, α, or nominal path loss) for transmit power control for positioning SRS in RRC inactive state. And then UE 110 uses the configured parameters to determine the output power of the positioning SRS.

2) If rule A2 in step 3 316 is configured for UE 110, then UE 110 synchronizes with the list of configured TRPs 170 and measures the SSB of TRPs 170. Based on the measurement result, the UE 110 selects one of the TRPs 170 having the highest SSB-RSRP as a reference cell, and then determines a transmission power parameter of the positioning SRS based on the reference cell. For example, UE 110 estimates the path loss between the reference cell and itself and reads the P0 and Alpha values from the PBCH of the reference cell. Thereafter, UE 110 determines the output power of the positioning SRS using the configured parameters.

3) If a plurality of rules (e.g., A1& A2) are predefined or configured for UE 110 to determine the transmit power control parameters of the positioning SRS in the RRC inactive state, UE 110 may be configured to autonomously select one of the configuration rules based on certain metrics, e.g., the UE power state. If the UE 110 is at a high power level (i.e., the power level is above a given threshold), the UE 110 may choose to measure the TRP 170 and then select one best TRP 170 from the list of configured TRPs 170 as the reference cell. Finally, UE 110 may estimate the pathloss based on SSB transmissions and the reference cell, or further obtain P0 and Alpha values for power control of the positioning SRS by reading the PBCH of the reference cell. If UE 110 is at a low power level (i.e., the power level is below a given threshold), UE 110 may choose to use the fixed set of transmit power control parameters to transmit the positioning SRS in the RRC inactive state. In this case, UE 110 does not need to make any measurements of the path loss estimate and other parameters, which would benefit UE power savings in the case of a low power level state.

In an example embodiment, the network (e.g., 190) may also configure path loss or output power constraints in the positioning assistance data for transmitting positioning SRS in RRC inactive state. In this case, if configured, UE 110 needs to adhere to the constraints. For example, to control the interference level of the positioning SRS to the network, LMF 302 may configure a maximum path loss (or output power) constraint for positioning UE 110 with the positioning assistance information such that UE 110 sets the actual path loss (or output power) to be no greater than the configured maximum path loss (or output power). As another example, to guarantee the testability or coverage performance of the positioning SRS, LMF 302 may configure a minimum path loss (or output power) constraint for positioning UE 110 with positioning assistance information such that UE 110 sets the actual path loss (or output power) so that it is not below the configured minimum path loss (or output power).

The examples described herein have several technical effects, including providing an efficient mechanism for UE 110 to autonomously determine TPC parameters in an RRC inactive state based on network assistance. Furthermore, the examples described herein effectively combat adverse effects of UE mobility on positioning and network performance, such as SRS testability and network interference levels. Furthermore, the examples described herein facilitate UE power savings and complexity reduction for locating UE 110 because an inactive UE 110 does not need to enter an RRC connected state for SRS configuration update in view of UE mobility.

Fig. 4 is a hardware-implementable example apparatus 400 configured to implement the examples described herein. The apparatus 400 includes a processor 402, at least one memory 404 including computer program code 405, where the at least one memory 404 and the computer program code 405 are configured to, with the at least one processor 402, cause the apparatus to implement circuits, processes, components, modules or functions (collectively signaling 406) to implement the examples described herein. The apparatus 400 optionally includes a display and/or I/O interface 408 that may be used to display aspects or states of the methods described herein (e.g., at the time one of the methods is performed or at a later time). The apparatus 400 includes one or more network (N/W) interfaces (I/F (s)) 410. N/WI/F(s) 410 may be wired and/or wireless and communicate over the Internet/other network via any communication technology. The N/W I/F410 may include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers. N/W I/F410 may include standard well-known components such as amplifiers, filters, frequency converters, (de) modulators and encoder/decoder circuits, and one or more antennas.

Apparatus 400 may be UE 110, RAN node 170, or network element 190 (e.g., to implement the functionality of LMF 302). Thus, processor 402 may correspond to processor 120, processor 152, or processor 175, memory 404 may correspond to memory 125, memory 155, or memory 171, respectively, computer program code 405 may correspond to computer program code 123, module 140-1, module 140-2, computer program code 153, module 150-1, module 150-2, or computer program code 173, respectively, and N/WI/F(s) 410 may correspond to N/WI/F(s) 161 or N/WI/F180, respectively. Alternatively, apparatus 400 may not correspond to any of UE 110, RAN node 170, or network element 190.

As shown in fig. 4, interface 412 enables data communication between the various items of apparatus 400. Interface 412 may be one or more buses, or interface 412 may be one or more software interfaces configured to transfer data between the various items of apparatus 400. For example, interface 412 may be one or more buses, such as an address, data, or control bus, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optic or other optical communications device, etc. The apparatus 400 need not include each of the features mentioned, or may include other features as well.

References to "computer", "processor", etc. should be understood to include not only computers having different architectures such as single/multiprocessor architectures and sequential (von neumann)/parallel architectures, but also special purpose circuits such as Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA), application specific circuits (ASIC), signal processing devices and other processing circuits. References to computer programs, instructions, code etc. should be understood to include software for a programmable processor or firmware, such as programmable content such as hardware means, whether processor instructions or configuration settings of fixed function devices, gate arrays or programmable logic devices etc.

One or more memories as described herein may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology such as semiconductor-based storage devices, flash memory, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The memory may include a database for storing data.

As used herein, the term "circuit" may refer to the following: (a) Hardware circuit implementations, such as implementations in analog and/or digital circuitry, and (b) a combination of circuitry and software (and/or firmware), such as (as applicable): (i) A combination of processors or (ii) a portion of a processor/software, including a digital signal processor, software, and memory that work together to cause the device to perform various functions, and (c) circuitry, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software or firmware to operate, even if the software or firmware is not physically present. As another example, as used herein, the term "circuitry" shall also encompass an implementation of only a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term "circuitry" if applicable to a particular element would also cover, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or applications processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other network device.

Fig. 5 is an example method 500 of implementing a network assisted transmit power control mechanism for positioning SRS in RRC inactive state based on example embodiments described herein. At 502, the method includes collecting information from a user equipment or at least one network node related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment. At 504, the method includes determining rules for one or more transmit power control parameters of the user equipment for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state based on the collected information. At 506, the method includes signaling rules and one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment or at least one network node. At 508, the method includes wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule. The method 500 may be performed by the network element 190, the LMF 302, or the apparatus 400.

Fig. 6 is another example method 600 of implementing a network assisted transmit power control mechanism for positioning SRS in RRC inactive state based on example embodiments described herein. At 602, the method includes providing capability information to a location management function associated with configuration of positioning assistance information for a user equipment. At 604, the method includes receiving rules related to one or more transmit power control parameters for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state of the user equipment based on the provided capability information. At 606, the method includes wherein the rule is received from a location management function or from at least one network node. At 608, the method includes determining one or more transmit power control parameters for transmitting positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule. Method 600 may be performed by UE 110 or by apparatus 400.

Fig. 7 is another example method 700 of implementing a network assisted transmit power control mechanism for locating SRS in RRC inactive state based on example embodiments described herein. At 702, the method includes providing information to a location management function associated with configuration of positioning assistance information for a user equipment. At 704, the method includes receiving a signal related to a rule and one or more transmit power control parameters based on the provided information. At 706, the method includes transmitting a rule and one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment. At 708, the method includes wherein one or more transmit power control parameters are configured for transmitting positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state based on a rule. The method 700 may be performed by the network node 170 or the apparatus 400.

An example method includes collecting information from a user equipment or at least one network node related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment; determining a rule of one or more transmit power control parameters for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactivity state for the user equipment based on the collected information; and transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameter signaling to the user equipment or the at least one network node; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to be used to transmit positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

Other aspects of the method may include the following. The information collected from the user equipment or the at least one network node may be at least one of: capability from at least one network node, user equipment path loss or interference; capability information from the user equipment; or a positioning requirement from a location services client. The rules for the one or more transmit power control parameters of the user equipment may include: an indication to a user equipment to use a semi-static power control parameter set to transmit positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state; or an indication to the user equipment to autonomously determine a set of power control parameters for transmitting the positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the at least one metric. The at least one metric may be one or more of the following: reference signal received power of the position measurement unit; reference signal received power of at least one network node; or the power state of the user equipment. The signaling may include signaling rules and one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment using a long term evolution positioning protocol. The one or more transmit power control parameters of the positioning reference signal in the radio resource control inactive state may include one or more of a target received power, a compensation factor, a path loss, or an output power. The signaling may include: transmitting a rule and one or more transmit power control parameters when the user equipment is in a radio resource control connected state; or transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters through a paging procedure, a random access channel-based procedure, or a configured grant-based procedure when the user equipment is in a radio resource control inactive state. The positioning reference signal may be a sounding reference signal, a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), a random access channel preamble, or a dedicated reference signal for positioning.

An example method, comprising: providing capability information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment; based on the provided capability information, receiving rules related to one or more transmit power control parameters used by the user equipment to locate reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state; wherein the rule is received from a location management function or at least one network node; based on the rule, one or more transmit power control parameters for transmitting positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state are determined.

Other aspects of the method may include the following. The rules for the one or more transmit power control parameters of the user equipment may include: an indication to a user equipment to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state using a semi-static power control parameter set; or an indication to the user equipment to autonomously determine a set of power control parameters for transmitting the positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the at least one metric. The determining may include: determining an output power of the positioning reference signal using the semi-static power control parameter when the indication to the user equipment is to use the semi-static power control parameter set to transmit the positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state; and when the indication to the user equipment is based on at least one metric autonomously determining a set of power control parameters for transmitting positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state: synchronizing with the list of the configured one or more network nodes; measuring reference signals of one or more network nodes; based on the measurements, selecting one of the one or more network nodes having the highest reference signal received power as a reference; and determining a set of power control parameters for transmitting the positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the reference. When the user equipment receives the plurality of indications, the determining may include autonomously determining a set of power control parameters for transmitting the positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on a power state of the user equipment. The at least one metric may be one or more of the following: reference signal received power of the position measurement unit; reference signal received power of at least one network node; or the power state of the user equipment. The receiving may include: receiving rules and one or more transmit power control parameters from a location management function via a long term evolution positioning protocol; or receiving the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters from the at least one network node by the positioning reference signal configuration information element. The one or more transmit power control parameters of the positioning reference signal in the radio resource control inactive state may include one or more of a target received power, a compensation factor, a path loss, or an output power. The receiving may include: receiving a rule and one or more transmit power control parameters when the user equipment is in a radio resource control connected state; or receiving the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters through a paging procedure, a random access channel-based procedure, or a configured grant-based procedure when the user equipment is in a radio resource control inactive state. The positioning reference signal may be a sounding reference signal, a demodulation reference signal, a random access channel preamble, or a positioning specific reference signal.

An example method includes: providing information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for a user equipment; receiving signals related to the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters based on the provided information; and transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

Other aspects of the method may include the following. The information provided to the location management function may be at least one of capability, user equipment path loss or interference from the network node. The rules for the one or more transmit power control parameters of the user equipment may include: an indication to a user equipment to use a set of semi-static power control parameters to transmit positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state; or an indication to the user equipment to autonomously determine a set of power control parameters for transmitting the positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the at least one metric. The at least one metric may be one or more of the following: reference signal received power of the position measurement unit; reference signal received power of the network node; or the power state of the user equipment. The rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters may be transmitted to the user equipment using the positioning reference signal configuration information element. The one or more transmit power control parameters of the positioning reference signal in the radio resource control inactive state may include one or more of a target received power, a compensation factor, a path loss, or an output power. The rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters may be transmitted when the user equipment is in a radio resource control connected state; alternatively, the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters may be sent through a paging procedure, a random access channel based procedure, or a configured grant based procedure when the user equipment is in a radio resource control inactive state. The positioning reference signal may be a sounding reference signal, a demodulation reference signal, a random access channel preamble (preamble), or a positioning specific reference signal.

An example apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: collecting information from a user equipment or at least one network node related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment; determining a rule of one or more transmit power control parameters for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactivity state for the user equipment based on the collected information; and transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameter signaling to the user equipment or the at least one network node; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

An example apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: providing capability information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment; based on the provided capability information, receiving rules related to one or more transmit power control parameters used by the user equipment to locate reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state; wherein the rule is received from a location management function or at least one network node; and determining one or more transmit power control parameters for transmitting the positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

An example apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: providing information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for a user equipment; receiving signals related to the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters based on the provided information; transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

An apparatus, comprising: means for collecting information from a user equipment or at least one network node related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment; means for determining rules for one or more transmit power control parameters of the user equipment for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state based on the collected information; and means for signaling rules and one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment or the at least one network node; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

An example apparatus, comprising: means for providing capability information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for a user equipment; means for receiving rules related to one or more transmit power control parameters used by the user equipment to locate reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state based on the provided capability information, wherein the rules are received from a location management function or at least one network node; and determining one or more transmit power control parameters for transmitting a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

An example apparatus, comprising: means for providing information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for a user equipment; means for receiving signals related to the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters based on the provided information; and means for transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured for transmitting positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

There is provided an example program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform operations comprising: collecting information from a user equipment or at least one network node related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment; determining a rule of one or more transmit power control parameters for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactivity state for the user equipment based on the collected information; and transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameter signaling to the user equipment or the at least one network node; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

There is provided an example program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform operations comprising: providing capability information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment; based on the provided capability information, receiving rules related to one or more transmit power control parameters used by the user equipment to locate reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state; wherein the rule is received from a location management function or at least one network node; and based on the rule, determining one or more transmit power control parameters for transmitting the positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state.

There is provided an example program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform operations comprising: providing information to a location management function related to a configuration for positioning assistance of a user equipment; receiving signals related to the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters based on the provided information; transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment; wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to be used to transmit positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art. For example, the features recited in the various dependent claims may be combined with each other in any suitable combination. Furthermore, features from the different embodiments described above may be optionally combined into new embodiments. Accordingly, the present description is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising:

collecting information from a user equipment or at least one network node related to configuration of positioning assistance information for said user equipment;

Determining a rule of one or more transmit power control parameters for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state for the user equipment based on the collected information; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

Signaling the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment or the at least one network node;

wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters are configured to transmit a positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule,

the rules for the one or more transmit power control parameters of the user equipment include:

an indication to the user equipment to transmit the positioning reference signal in the radio resource control inactive state using a semi-static power control parameter set; or (b)

An indication of the user equipment to autonomously determine a set of power control parameters for transmitting the positioning reference signal in the radio resource control inactive state based on at least one metric.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information collected from the user equipment or from the at least one network node is at least one of:

Capability, user equipment path loss or interference from the at least one network node;

capability information from the user equipment; or (b)

Positioning requirements from a location services client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one metric is one or more of:

reference signal received power of the position measurement unit;

the reference signal received power of the at least one network node; or (b)

The power state of the user equipment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling comprises:

the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters are signaled to the user equipment using a long term evolution positioning protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters of the positioning reference signal in the radio resource control inactive state comprise one or more of a target received power, a compensation factor, a path loss, or an output power.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling comprises:

transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters when the user equipment is in a radio resource control connected state; or (b)

The rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters are transmitted by a paging procedure, a random access channel based procedure, or a configured grant based procedure when the user equipment is in a radio resource control inactive state.

7. The method according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the positioning reference signal is a sounding reference signal, a demodulation reference signal, a random access channel preamble or a dedicated reference signal for positioning.

8. A method of communication, comprising:

providing capability information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for the user equipment;

based on the provided capability information, receiving rules related to one or more transmit power control parameters used by the user equipment for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state;

wherein the rule is received from the location management function or at least one network node;

determining the one or more transmit power control parameters for transmitting the positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining comprises:

determining an output power of the positioning reference signal using the semi-static power control parameter when the indication to the user equipment is to use the semi-static power control parameter set to transmit the positioning reference signal in the radio resource control inactive state; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

When the indication to the user equipment is to autonomously determine a set of power control parameters based on at least one metric to transmit the positioning reference signal in the radio resource control inactive state:

synchronizing with the list of the configured one or more network nodes;

measuring reference signals of the one or more network nodes;

based on the measurements, selecting one of the one or more network nodes having the highest reference signal received power as a reference; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

The set of power control parameters for transmitting positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state is determined based on the reference.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining comprises autonomously determining the set of power control parameters for transmitting the positioning reference signal in the radio resource control inactive state based on a power state of the user equipment when the user equipment receives a plurality of indications.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one metric is one or more of:

reference signal received power of the position measurement unit;

the reference signal received power of the at least one network node; or (b)

The power state of the user equipment.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving comprises:

receiving the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters from the location management function via a long term evolution positioning protocol; or (b)

The rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters are received from the at least one network node by a positioning reference signal configuration information element.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters of the positioning reference signal in the radio resource control inactive state comprise one or more of a target received power, a compensation factor, a path loss, or an output power.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving comprises:

receiving the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters when the user equipment is in a radio resource control connected state; or (b)

The rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters are received through a paging procedure, a random access channel based procedure, or a configured grant based procedure when the user equipment is in a radio resource control inactive state.

15. The method according to any of claims 8 to 14, wherein the positioning reference signal is a sounding reference signal, a demodulation reference signal, a random access channel preamble or a dedicated reference signal for positioning.

16. A method of communication, comprising:

providing information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information for a user equipment;

receiving signals relating to rules and one or more transmit power control parameters based on the provided information; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

Transmitting the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters to the user equipment;

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the information provided to the location management function is at least one of capability, user equipment path loss, or interference from a network node.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one metric is one or more of:

reference signal received power of the position measurement unit;

reference signal received power of the network node; or (b)

The power state of the user equipment.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters are transmitted to the user equipment using a positioning reference signal configuration information element.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more transmit power control parameters of the positioning reference signal in the radio resource control inactive state comprise one or more of a target received power, a compensation factor, a path loss, or an output power.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein:

The rule and the one or more transmit power control parameters are transmitted through a paging procedure, a random access channel-based procedure, or a configured grant-based procedure when the user equipment is in a radio resource control inactive state.

22. The method according to any of claims 16 to 21, wherein the positioning reference signal is a sounding reference signal, a demodulation reference signal, a random access channel preamble or a dedicated reference signal for positioning.

23. A communication apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

At least one sexual memory including computer program code;

wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

Collecting information from a user equipment or at least one network node related to positioning assistance information configuration for said user equipment;

24. A communication apparatus, comprising:

At least one sexual memory including computer program code;

providing capability information to a location management function associated with configuration of positioning assistance information of the user equipment;

wherein the rule is received from the location management function or the at least one network node;

25. A communication apparatus, comprising:

At least one sexual memory including computer program code;

providing information to a location management function related to configuration of positioning assistance information of the user equipment;

receiving signals relating to rules and one or more transmit power control parameters based on the provided information; and

26. A sexual program storage device for communication readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform operations, the operations comprising:

determining a rule of one or more transmit power control parameters for positioning reference signals in a radio resource control inactive state for the user equipment based on the collected information; and

27. A sexual program storage device for communication readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform operations, the operations comprising:

determining one or more transmit power control parameters for transmitting the positioning reference signal in a radio resource control inactive state based on the rule; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

28. A sexual program storage device for communication readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform operations, the operations comprising: