WO2023184524A1

WO2023184524A1 - Devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for dynamic reference signal sample transmission

Info

Publication number: WO2023184524A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/085004
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ryan Keating; Oana-Elena Barbu; Benny Vejlgaard; Johannes Harrebek; Tao Tao; Muhammad Ikram ASHRAF
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co., Ltd.; Nokia Solutions And Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2022-04-02
Filing date: 2022-04-02
Publication date: 2023-10-05

Abstract

Disclosed are devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for dynamic reference signal sample transmission. An example terminal device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to perform: receiving, from a network device of a plurality of network devices, an indication indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and muting the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the indicated at least one reference signal resource after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

Description

DEVICES, METHODS, APPARATUSES, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA FOR DYNAMIC REFERENCE SIGNAL SAMPLE TRANSMISSION

TECHNICAL FIELD

Various embodiments relate to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for dynamic reference signal sample transmission.

BACKGROUND

New radio (NR) positioning has focused on increasing accuracy, reducing latency and increasing efficiency, such as low complexity, low power consumption, low overhead, etc. However, there is a tradeoff between accuracy and power consumption as lower number of reference signal (RS) samples is expected to have reduced requirements in terms of accuracy. For uplink (UL) positioning measurements, currently a transmission reception point (TRP) is simply requested by a location server to return the UL measurements and no number of samples is set. That means that the reference signal configuration may not be related to the number of samples needed by the TRPs to complete the UL measurements. For a low power user equipment (UE) , for example, a reduced capability (RedCap) UE or in low power high accuracy positioning (LPHAP) use cases, there may be unnecessary sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions for positioning which is a waste of UE power consumption and not efficient for network resource. The TRPs may in fact ignore some SRS occasions or samples when it is not necessary for the TRPs to use those occasions or samples to achieve accuracy targets. At frequency range 2 (FR2) where a UE may be beamforming and is configured with multiple SRS resources within one SRS resource set, currently the UE transmits the same periodicity and repetition factor for each SRS resource within the set, which is also a waste of UE power consumption and not efficient for network resource.

SUMMARY

A brief summary of exemplary embodiments is provided below to provide basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments. It should be noted that this summary is not intended to identify key features of essential elements or define scopes of the embodiments, and its sole purpose is to introduce some concepts in a simplified form as a preamble for a more detailed description provided below.

In a first aspect, disclosed is a terminal device. The terminal device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to perform: receiving, from a network device, an indication indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and muting the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the indicated at least one reference signal resource after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to further perform: after the muted transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples, resuming transmission over the indicated at least one reference signal resource.

In some example embodiments, the resuming may be performed without receiving an additional signaling.

In some example embodiments, the indication may further indicate a number of the one or more reference signal samples, the transmissions of which are to be muted.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to further perform: reporting, to a location management device, power status of the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to further perform: receiving, from the network device, a signaling for activating pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource; and transmitting at least one reference signal sample over the activated at least one reference signal resource.

In some example embodiments, the reference signal resource may be a sounding reference signal resource, and the reference signal sample may be a sounding reference signal sample.

In a second aspect, disclosed is a network device. The network device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to perform: determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device; transmitting, to a location management device, the determined number; receiving, from the location management device, a message indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

In some example embodiments, the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device may be determined based on channel metrics with respect to the terminal device, and the channel metrics may comprise at least one of the following: line of sight status, signal to interference plus noise ratio, reference signal received power, reference signal received path power, or reference signal received quality.

In some example embodiments, the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device may be determined based on measurement quality of at least one past reference signal sample.

In some example embodiments, the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device may be determined as a number range.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to further perform: after the muted transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples, receiving, from the terminal device, at least one reference signal sample over the indicated at least one reference signal resource.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to further perform: reporting, to the location management device, optimal resource block allocation.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to further perform: receiving, from the location management device, a message associated with activating pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device; and transmitting, to the terminal device, a signaling for activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource.

In a third aspect, disclosed is a location management device. The location management device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the location management device to perform: receiving, from a plurality of network devices, respective numbers of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device; determining transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample, based at least on the respective numbers; and transmitting, to a network device of the plurality of network devices, a message indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the location management device to further perform: receiving, from the terminal device, power status of the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the certain number may be determined further based on at least one of the following: the power status, positioning quality of service, or coarse location of the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the location management device to further perform: determining an expected number of at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device, based on at least one of the following: the power status, positioning quality of service, a past measurement report or coarse location of the terminal device; and transmitting, to the network device, the expected number.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the location management device to further perform: receiving, from the plurality of network devices, respective optimal resource block allocations; determining from the plurality of network devices a set of network devices for positioning the terminal device based on comparison among the respective optimal resource block allocations; and transmitting, to the terminal device, information on the set of network devices.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the location management device to further perform: determining to activate pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device; and transmitting, to the network device, a message associated with activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device.

In a fourth aspect, disclosed is a terminal device. The terminal device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to perform: receiving, from a plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective requests for updating sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective requests comprising a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of the terminal device, respectively; determining to mute transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample based on the respective requests; and transmitting, to the plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations comprising the certain number, respectively.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to further perform: removing at least one anchor terminal device from the plurality of anchor terminal devices, based on the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device.

In a fifth aspect, disclosed is a terminal device. The terminal device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device as an anchor terminal device to perform: determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a target terminal device; transmitting, to the target terminal device via sidelink, a request for updating sidelink reference signal configuration, the request comprising the determined number; receiving, from the target terminal device, an updated sidelink reference signal configuration comprising a certain number, transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples by the target terminal device after the certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample to be muted.

In a sixth aspect, disclosed is a method performed by a terminal device. The method may comprise: receiving, from a network device, an indication indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and muting the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the indicated at least one reference signal resource after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: after the muted transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples, resuming transmission over the indicated at least one reference signal resource.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: reporting, to a location management device, power status of the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: receiving, from the network device, a signaling for activating pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource; and transmitting at least one reference signal sample over the activated at least one reference signal resource.

In a seventh aspect, disclosed is a method performed by a network device. The method may comprise: determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device; transmitting, to a location management device, the determined number; receiving, from the location management device, a message indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: after the muted transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples, receiving, from the terminal device, at least one reference signal sample over the indicated at least one reference signal resource.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: reporting, to the location management device, optimal resource block allocation.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: receiving, from the location management device, a message associated with activating pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device; and transmitting, to the terminal device, a signaling for activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource.

In an eighth aspect, disclosed is a method performed by a location management device. The method may comprise: receiving, from a plurality of network devices, respective numbers of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device; determining transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample, based at least on the respective numbers; and transmitting, to a network device of the plurality of network devices, a message indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: receiving, from the terminal device, power status of the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: determining an expected number of at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device, based on at least one of the following: the power status, positioning quality of service, a past measurement report or coarse location of the terminal device; and transmitting, to the network device, the expected number.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: receiving, from the plurality of network devices, respective optimal resource block allocations; determining from the plurality of network devices a set of network devices for positioning the terminal device based on comparison among the respective optimal resource block allocations; and transmitting, to the terminal device, information on the set of network devices.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: determining to activate pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device; and transmitting, to the network device, a message associated with activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device.

In a ninth aspect, disclosed is a method performed by a terminal device. The method may comprise: receiving, from a plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective requests for updating sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective requests comprising a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of the terminal device, respectively; determining to mute transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample based on the respective requests; and transmitting, to the plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations comprising the certain number, respectively.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: removing at least one anchor terminal device from the plurality of anchor terminal devices, based on the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device.

In a tenth aspect, disclosed is a method performed by an anchor terminal device. The method may comprise: determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a target terminal device; transmitting, to the target terminal device via sidelink, a request for updating sidelink reference signal configuration, the request comprising the determined number; receiving, from the target terminal device, an updated sidelink reference signal configuration comprising a certain number, transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples by the target terminal device after the certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample to be muted.

In an eleventh aspect, disclosed is an apparatus. The apparatus as a terminal device may comprise: means for receiving, from a network device, an indication indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and means for muting the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the indicated at least one reference signal resource after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for, after the muted transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples, resuming transmission over the indicated at least one reference signal resource.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for reporting, to a location management device, power status of the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for receiving, from the network device, a signaling for activating pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource; and means for transmitting at least one reference signal sample over the activated at least one reference signal resource.

In a twelfth aspect, disclosed is an apparatus. The apparatus as a network device may comprise: means for determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device; means for transmitting, to a location management device, the determined number; means for receiving, from the location management device, a message indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and means for transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for, after the muted transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples, receiving, from the terminal device, at least one reference signal sample over the indicated at least one reference signal resource.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for reporting, to the location management device, optimal resource block allocation.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for receiving, from the location management device, a message associated with activating pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device; and means for transmitting, to the terminal device, a signaling for activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource.

In a thirteenth aspect, disclosed is an apparatus. The apparatus as a location management device may comprise: means for receiving, from a plurality of network devices, respective numbers of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device; means for determining transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample, based at least on the respective numbers; and means for transmitting, to a network device of the plurality of network devices, a message indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for receiving, from the terminal device, power status of the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for determining an expected number of at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device, based on at least one of the following: the power status, positioning quality of service, a past measurement report or coarse location of the terminal device; and transmitting, to the network device, the expected number.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for receiving, from the plurality of network devices, respective optimal resource block allocations; means for determining from the plurality of network devices a set of network devices for positioning the terminal device based on comparison among the respective optimal resource block allocations; and means for transmitting, to the terminal device, information on the set of network devices.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for determining to activate pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device; and means for transmitting, to the network device, a message associated with activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device.

In a thirteenth aspect, disclosed is an apparatus. The apparatus as a terminal device may comprise: means for receiving, from a plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective requests for updating sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective requests comprising a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of the terminal device, respectively; means for determining to mute transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample based on the respective requests; and means for transmitting, to the plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations comprising the certain number, respectively.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for removing at least one anchor terminal device from the plurality of anchor terminal devices, based on the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device.

In a fourteenth aspect, disclosed is an apparatus. The apparatus as an anchor terminal device may comprise: means for determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a target terminal device; means for transmitting, to the target terminal device via sidelink, a request for updating sidelink reference signal configuration, the request comprising the determined number; and means for receiving, from the target terminal device, an updated sidelink reference signal configuration comprising a certain number, transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples by the target terminal device after the certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample to be muted.

In a sixteenth aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer readable medium may include instructions stored thereon for causing a terminal device to perform: receiving, from a network device, an indication indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and muting the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the indicated at least one reference signal resource after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing the terminal device to further perform: after the muted transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples, resuming transmission over the indicated at least one reference signal resource.

In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing the terminal device to further perform: reporting, to a location management device, power status of the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing the terminal device to further perform: receiving, from the network device, a signaling for activating pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource; and transmitting at least one reference signal sample over the activated at least one reference signal resource.

In a seventeenth aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer readable medium may include instructions stored thereon for causing a network device to perform: determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device; transmitting, to a location management device, the determined number; receiving, from the location management device, a message indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing the network device to further perform: receiving, from the location management device, a message associated with activating pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device; and transmitting, to the terminal device, a signaling for activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource.

In an eighteenth aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer readable medium may include instructions stored thereon for causing a location management device to perform: receiving, from a plurality of network devices, respective numbers of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device; determining transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample, based at least on the respective numbers; and transmitting, to a network device of the plurality of network devices, a message indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing the location management device to further perform: receiving, from the terminal device, power status of the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing the location management device to further perform: determining an expected number of at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device, based on at least one of the following: the power status, positioning quality of service, a past measurement report or coarse location of the terminal device; and transmitting, to the network device, the expected number.

In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing the location management device to further perform: receiving, from the plurality of network devices, respective optimal resource block allocations; determining from the plurality of network devices a set of network devices for positioning the terminal device based on comparison among the respective optimal resource block allocations; and transmitting, to the terminal device, information on the set of network devices.

In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing the location management device to further perform: determining to activate pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device; and transmitting, to the network device, a message associated with activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device.

In a nineteenth aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer readable medium may include instructions stored thereon for causing a terminal device to perform: receiving, from a plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective requests for updating sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective requests comprising a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of the terminal device, respectively; determining to mute transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample based on the respective requests; and transmitting, to the plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations comprising the certain number, respectively.

In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing the terminal device to further perform: removing at least one anchor terminal device from the plurality of anchor terminal devices, based on the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device.

In a twentieth aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer readable medium may include instructions stored thereon for causing an anchor terminal device to perform: determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a target terminal device; transmitting, to the target terminal device via sidelink, a request for updating sidelink reference signal configuration, the request comprising the determined number; and receiving, from the target terminal device, an updated sidelink reference signal configuration comprising a certain number, transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples by the target terminal device after the certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample to be muted.

Other features and advantages of the example embodiments of the present disclosure will also be apparent from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of example embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some example embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary RS processing for which the example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary sequence diagram for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary sequence diagram for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 400 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 500 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 600 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 700 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 800 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 900 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 1000 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 1100 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 1200 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 1300 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 1400 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 1500 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 1600 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 1700 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 18 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 1800 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, same or similar reference numbers indicate same or similar elements. A repetitive description on the same elements would be omitted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Herein below, some example embodiments are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known circuits, techniques and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the described concepts and features.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for dynamic reference signal sample transmission. According to the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE power wasted during RS transmissions for positioning may be saved and network resource efficiency may be improved, while the accuracy requirements may also be satisfied. The example embodiments of the present disclosure may apply for both Uu-positioning and sidelink (SL) -positioning. Regarding the “Uu” , the “U” refers to user to network interface, the “u” refers to universal, and thus the “Uu” may refer to a link between UE and radio access network (RAN) .

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary RS processing for which the example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Referring to the FIG. 1, a positioning periodicity 110 and a positioning periodicity 150 are shown as examples of positioning periodicities. It may be appreciated that there may be other positioning periodicities before the positioning periodicity 110 and/or after the positioning periodicity 150. The positioning periodicity 110 and/or the positioning periodicity 150 may be temporally fixed, e.g. 1 second. It may be appreciated that the positioning periodicity 110 and/or the positioning periodicity 150 may have other durations.

In the FIG. 1, three

RS resources

1, 2, 3 are shown as examples of configured RS resources. It may be appreciated that more or less RS resources may be configured for positioning measurements. The RS may be, for example, the SRS in the UL positioning measurement, or a positioning reference signal (PRS) in a SL-positioning measurement. Moreover, the three

RS resources

1, 2, and 3 are shown to be temporally different, and it may be appreciated that the three

RS resources

1, 2, and 3 may be different in frequency and may temporally overlap or partially overlap.

The

RS resources

1, 2, and 3 are configured with a periodicity and may include multiple RS samples which are individual instances of the respective RS resources. A RS occasion of an RS resource may correspond to multiple repeated RS samples of a given RS resource if resource repetition is configured. In the FIG. 1, five

RS occasions

115, 120, 125, 130, and 135 are shown to be included in the positioning periodicity 110, and a repetition factor of 4 is configured for

respective RS resources

1, 2, and 3. Taking RS occasion 115 as an example, the RS occasion 115 corresponds 4 individual RS samples of

respective RS resources

1, 2, and 3. It may be appreciated that the repetition factor may be configured with other values and the positioning periodicity 110 may include other amount of RS occasions. Moreover, it may be appreciated that the FIG. 1 is schematic and is not in scale, and some repeated elements are omitted.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary sequence diagram for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to the FIG. 2, a UE 210 may represent any terminal device in a wireless communication network. A plurality of network devices 220 may function as a plurality of TRPs, respectively, supporting positioning measurements of the UE 210 in the wireless communication network. A network device 230 is one of the network devices 220 and may function as a serving TRP for the UE 210. A location management device 240 may function as a location server in the wireless communication network, for example, a location management function (LMF) in a core network (CN) .

The UE 210 may be configured with a RS configuration, e.g., shown in the FIG. 1. The UE 210 may be configured to transmit the RS samples such as the

RS samples

112, 122, 132, 142, 152, etc. over the RS resource 1, to transmit the RS samples such as the

RS samples

114, 124, 134, 144, 154, etc. over the RS resource 2, and to transmit the RS samples such as the

RS samples

116, 126, 136, 146, 156, etc. over the RS resource 3. The RS sample may be a SRS sample and the RS resource may be a SRS resource.

The UE 210 may report power status 212 of the UE 210 to the location management device 240 and/or the plurality of network devices 220. Optionally, the power status 212 may be reported before the beginning of the positioning procedure. In this case, in an operation 242, the location management device 240 may determine an expected number 244 of at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the UE 210, based on at least one of the following: the power status 212, positioning quality of service (QoS) , a past measurement report or coarse location of the UE 210. The expected number 244 of the at least one reference signal sample may be expected to be sufficient to satisfy the positioning QoS requirements. In an embodiment, the power status 212 may be a result compared with a threshold predefined by the network side, for example, higher or lower than the threshold.

Then, the location management device 240 may transmit the expected number 244 to the network device 230. For example, the location management device 240 may include the expected number 244 in a SRS characteristics request when signaling the network device 230 to begin the positioning procedure. The expected number 244 may be used as a reference for the network device 230 to more accurately determine a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the UE 210.

Alternatively or additionally, the power status 212 may be reported at another occasion, for example, before an operation 246 in which the location management device 240 will determine a certain number of at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the UE 210, which will be described later.

At the beginning of the positioning procedure, the UE 210 may be configured by the location management device 240 for UL positioning transmissions, and the plurality of network devices 220 may be requested to make UL measurements. Alternatively, the UE 210 may be directly configured by the network device 230 for UL positioning transmissions. Then, the UE 210 may transmit the reference signal sample in UL based on initial configuration, and the plurality of network devices 220 may start to make the positioning measurement.

In an operation 222, the plurality of network devices 220 may determine numbers 224 of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of the UE 210. For example, the plurality of network devices 220 including the network device 230 may determine, respectively, how many reference signal sample (s) for the positioning measurement is/are sufficient to satisfy the accuracy requirements. The accuracy requirements may also be referred as to accuracy target, and may be obtained from the positioning QoS requirements and may be signaled from the location management device 240 to the plurality of network devices 220.

In an embodiment, the number 224 of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the UE 210 may be determined based on channel metrics with respect to the UE 210. The channel metrics may comprise at least one of the following: line of sight (LoS) status, signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) , reference signal received power (RSRP) , reference signal received path power (RSRPP) , or reference signal received quality (RSRQ) . The respective network devices 220 may measure the channel metrics on, e.g., the UL SRS of the UE 210 and/or other reference signals, e.g., demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) of the UE 210.

In an embodiment, the number 224 of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the UE 210 may be determined based on measurement quality of at least one past reference signal sample. For example, referring to the FIG. 1, assuming that the network device 230 receives reference signal samples over the RS resource 1, the network device 230 may determine the number 224 based on the quality of the measurements on first few samples, such as the RS sample 112 and the RS sample 122. The network device 230 may, for example, calculate variance based on the RS sample 112 and the RS sample 122, and may determine the number 224 to be 2 if the accuracy requirements are satisfied based on the measurements on the first two

RS samples

112 and 122.

In an embodiment, the number 224 of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the UE 210 may be determined as a number range. For example, in a case there is interference which is hard to predict, any of the plurality of network devices 220 may determine the number 224 as a number range. Taking the network device 230 as an example of any of the plurality of network devices 220, in a case the network device 230 determines that, e.g., 2 or 3 reference signal samples are needed for satisfying the accuracy target, and if there is interference which is hard to predict, the network device 230 may the number 224, denoted as M, as a number range 2 to 4, i.e. M ∈ [2-4] .

It may be appreciated that different network devices of the plurality of network devices 220 may determine the respective numbers 224 in identical or different ways. For example, different network devices may determine the numbers 224 by using identical or different channel metrics. Some network devices may determine the numbers 224 as an integer, and others may determine the numbers 224 as a number range. In addition, due to e.g. probable different conditions between the respective network devices 220 and the UE 210, different network devices may determine the respective numbers 224 as identical or different values. For example, the network device 230 may determine the number 224 to be e.g. 2, another network device 220 may determine its number 224 to be e.g. 3, or e.g. a range of 2 to 4.

Then, the plurality of network devices 220 may transmit, to the location management device 240, the respective determined numbers 224. The transmissions of the respective numbers 224 may be, e.g., in a form of new radio positioning protocol A (NRPPa) signaling. With the numbers 224, the plurality of network devices 220 may further transmit, to the location management device 240, information on respective specific RS resource identifiers (IDs) that are used for the positioning measurements. For example, in the information the network device 230 may indicate the RS resource 1 and another network device indicate, e.g., the RS resource 2 or the RS resource 3.

In an embodiment, any of the plurality of network devices 220, e.g. the network device 230, may signal the information as part of TRP measurement report. Alternatively or additionally, any of the plurality of network devices 220, e.g. the network device 230, may signal the information as a part of another NRPPa procedure.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the plurality of network devices 220 may report, to the location management device 240, the reasons for determining the respective numbers 224. For example, because the signal to noise ratio (SNR) is low, more reference signal samples are needed. For example, because the interference is high, more reference signal samples may not result in a significant improved positioning measurement.

Receiving the respective numbers 224, in an operation 246, the location management device 240 may determine transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the UE 210 over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample, based at least on the respective numbers 224. For example, assuming that the network device 230 receives the RS sample over the RS resource 1, if the number 224 from the network device 230 is 2, the location management device 240 may determine the certain number for the RS resource 1 to be 2. In this case, transmissions of RS samples since the RS sample 132 by the UE 210 over the RS resource 1 are to be muted after 2 transmissions of the

RS samples

112 and 122. For example, assuming that another network device 220 receives the RS sample over the RS resource 3, if the number 224 from the another network device 220 is 2 to 4, the location management device 240 may determine the certain number for the RS resource 1 to be e.g. any number of 2 to 4. If the certain number is determined to be e.g. 3, transmissions of RS samples since the RS sample 146 by the UE 210 over the RS resource 3 are to be muted after 3 transmissions of the

RS samples

116, 126 and 136. It may be appreciated that the certain numbers may be identical or different for different RS resources.

The muting may end by default at the expiration of e.g. some RS occasion or at the expiration of the positioning periodicity. Alternatively, the location management device 240 may determine the number of RS occasions to mute. For example, assuming that the location management device 240 determines the certain number for the RS resource 2 to be 4 and the number of RS occasions to mute to be 3, then after transmissions of

RS samples

114, 124, 134, and 144 in the RS occasion 115, the transmissions of the RS samples over the RS resource 2 during the following 3

RS occasions

120, 125 and 130 will be muted. It may be appreciated that the numbers of RS occasions to mute may be identical or different for different RS resources.

Alternatively, the location management device 240 may determine the number of RS samples to mute. For example, assuming that the location management device 240 determines the certain number for the RS resource 2 to be 2 and the number of RS samples to mute to be 2, then after transmissions of RS samples 114 and 124, the transmissions of the RS samples 134 and 144 over the RS resource 2 will be muted. Alternatively or additionally, the location management device 240 may determine a time period during which the RS samples are to be muted. For example, for the RS resource 1, assuming that the certain number is determined to be 1 and the time period is determined 50 milliseconds, the RS samples of the RS resource 1 falling in 50 milliseconds after the RS sample 112 are to be muted. Alternatively or additionally, the location management device 240 may determine one or more bandwidths on which the RS samples are to be muted. For example, after the certain number of transmissions of the RS samples, the RS samples on the determined one or more bandwidths are to be muted.

In an embodiment, the certain number may be determined further based on at least one of the following: the power status, positioning QoS, or coarse location of the UE 210. For example, taking these factors into account, the certain number may be determined not limited to the received respective numbers 224.

Then, the location management device 240 may transmit, to the network device 230, a message 248 indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples by the UE 210 over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample. In a case where the transmissions over more than one reference signal resources are to be muted, the message 248 may include the certain numbers for respective reference signal resources. Optionally the message 248 may further include the number of RS occasions to mute, the number of RS samples to mute, the time period to mute, and/or the one or more bandwidths to mute. In an embodiment the message 248 may be transmitted by using NRPPa.

Receiving the message 248, the network device 230 may transmit, to the UE 210, an indication 232 indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmissions of the at least one reference signal sample. Optionally, the indication 232 may further include the number of RS occasions to mute, the number of RS samples to mute, the time period to mute, and/or the one or more bandwidths to mute.

In an embodiment, the indication 232 may be transmitted via a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) message. Alternatively, the indication 232 may be transmitted via a dedicated medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) . Alternatively, the indication 232 may be transmitted via downlink control information (DCI) . Alternatively, in a case where the UE 210 is in RRC inactive or idle mode, the location management device 240 may directly transmit the message 248 functioning as the indication 232 to the UE 210, e.g., via paging or downlink (DL) small data transmission (SDT) .

Receiving the indication 232, in an operation 214, the UE 210 may mute the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the indicated at least one reference signal resource after the certain number of transmissions of the at least one reference signal sample. In a case where the indication 232 further indicates a number of RS occasions to mute, the number of RS samples to mute, the time period to mute, and/or the one or more bandwidths to mute, the UE 210 may mute the transmissions of the reference signal samples indicated by the indication 232. Because some transmissions of the RS samples may be muted, and thus the UE power saving may be achieved. Further, the network devices 220 may reuse those saved resources for other purposes, e.g. other UL data, such that the network resource efficiency may be improved.

After the muted transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples, in an operation 216 the UE 210 may resume transmission over the indicated at least one reference signal resource. For example, in a case where the indication 232 indicates 2 reference signal samples over the RS resource 1 to be muted after 2 transmissions of reference signal samples and transmissions of reference signal samples over the RS resource 2 to be muted after 4 transmissions of reference signal samples. Referring to the FIG. 1, according to such an indication 232, the UE 210 will mute the transmissions of the

RS samples

132 and 142 over the RS resource 1 after 2 transmissions of the

RS samples

112 and 122, then, the UE 210 may resume the transmission of RS sample over the indicated RS resource 1 after the muted transmissions of the

RS samples

132 and 142, i.e. resuming the transmission over the indicated RS resource 1 from the RS occasion 120. According to such an indication 232 the UE 210 will mute the transmissions of the RS samples over the RS resource 2 after 4 transmissions of the

RS samples

114, 124, 134 and 144, till a default timing, e.g. the end of the positioning periodicity 110, then, the UE 210 may resume the transmission of RS sample over the indicated RS resource 2 from the positioning periodicity 150, i.e. resuming the transmission of the RS sample 154 over the indicated RS resource 2. If the network device 230 receives over the RS resource 1, after the muted transmissions of the

reference signal samples

132 and 142, the network device 230 may receive, from the UE 210, at least one reference signal sample over the indicated RS resource 1.

In an embodiment, the resuming in the operation 216 may be performed without receiving an additional signaling. For example, after the muted transmission (s) of the RS sample (s) , the UE 210 does not need to require the network side to transmit an additional signaling for resuming the transmission of RS sample and the resuming may be performed by the UE 210 without a need to receive the additional signaling from the network side. After the muted transmission (s) of the RS sample (s) , the UE 210 may resume the transmission of RS sample according to the RS configuration which may have been previously indicated to the UE 210. In other words, UE 210 may be configured to resume RS sample transmission according to the configuration after muted RS sample (s) without further signaling from the network side. For example, this resuming may happen automatically after the muted RS sample (s) . Thus, UE 210 actions after the muted RS sample (s) may save radio resources as there may be no need for the network side (e.g. network device 230) to further transmit additional signal (s) for the RS sample transmission to resume.

Additionally, in an embodiment, in an operation 282, the location management device 240 may determine to activate pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the UE 210. For example, some of the RS resources, e.g. the RS resource 3 may be pre-reserved in the RS configuration, and the RS samples of the RS resource 3 will be transmitted if being activated. If, for example, some of the network devices 220 needs more RS samples to satisfy the accuracy target, the location management device 240 may determine to activate the pre-reserved RS resource 3 for the UE 210.

Then, the location management device 240 may transmit, to the network device 230, a message 284 associated with activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the UE 210. The message 284 may be transmitted via DCI or MAC-CE, etc. Receiving the message 284, the network device 230 may transmit, to the UE 210, a signaling 234 for activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource. Receiving the signaling 234, in an operation 218, the UE 210 may transmit at least one reference signal sample over the activated at least one reference signal resource. For example, if the RS resource 3 is the activated pre-reserved RS resource, and the UE 210 receives the signaling 234 before the timing for e.g. the RS sample 136 shown in the FIG. 1, the UE 210 may transmit at least the RS sample 136 over the RS resource 3.

Additionally, in an embodiment, the plurality of network devices 220 may report respective optimal resource block (RB) allocations 226 to the location management device 240. The respective optimal RB allocations 226 may be reported via e.g. NRPPa.

Receiving the respective optimal RB allocations 226, in an operation 286, the location management device 240 may determine from the plurality of network devices 220 a set of network devices 220 for positioning the UE 210 based on comparison among the respective optimal RB allocations 226. For example, the location management device 240 may compare, among the respective optimal RB allocations 226, e.g. channel quality indicators (CQIs) and SINRs with respect to the UE 210 for the estimation of UL measurements for positioning, to sort the optimal RB allocations 226. Thus, the location management device 240 may determine from the plurality of network devices 220 a set of network devices 220 for positioning the UE 210 by selecting the network devices 220 with good performance in terms of CQIs and/or SINRs, etc. and removing the network devices 220 with bad performance in terms of CQIs and/or SINRs, etc.

Additionally, the location management device 240 may also determine to remove some network devices 220 based on the received respective numbers 224. For example, the location management device 240 may remove the network devices, the numbers 224 from which are higher.

In this way, the location management device 240 may select best possible set of network devices 220 in order to minimize required SRS samples for UL-positioning while still meeting positioning QoS requirements.

Then, the location management device 240 may transmitting, to the UE 210, information 288 on the set of network devices. The information 288 may be transmitted over e.g. long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) .

Based on the received information 288, the UE 210 may transmit the reference signal samples to the set of network devices 220 instead of the plurality of network devices 220. Thus, better quality samples for UL measurements may be achieved.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary sequence diagram for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to the FIG. 3, a UE 310 may represent any terminal device as a positioning target in a wireless communication network, and an anchor UE 320 and an anchor UE 330 represent any UEs in the wireless communication network. The anchor UE 320 and the anchor UE 330 may communicate with the UE 310 via sidelink and may support positioning for the UE 310. It may be appreciated that there may be other anchor UE (s) supporting the sidelink based positioning for the target UE 310.

The UE 310 and the

anchor UEs

320 and 330 may establish a sidelink positioning session. Then the UE 310 may transmit RS samples to the anchor UE 320 and the anchor UE 330, respectively, and the anchor UE 320 and the anchor UE 330 may perform positioning measurements on the received RS samples, respectively. The RS may be sidelink PRS and the RS sample may be sidelink PRS sample.

In an operation 322, the anchor UE 320 may determine a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of the target UE 310. In an operation 332, the anchor UE 330 may determine a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of the target UE 310. For example, the anchor UE 320 and/or the anchor UE 330 may collect the RS samples and use the collected samples incrementally until the positioning measurement becomes stable. The minimum number of transmissions of RS samples after which the positioning measurement does not fluctuate may be determined as the number of at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the target UE 310, which may be referred to as a sufficient number.

Then, the anchor UE 320 may transmit, to the target UE 310 via sidelink, a request 324 for updating sidelink reference signal configuration. The request 324 may comprise the sufficient number determined in the operation 322. Similarly, the anchor UE 330 may transmit, to the target UE 310 via sidelink, a request 334 for updating sidelink reference signal configuration. The request 334 may comprise the sufficient number determined in the operation 332.

Receiving,

respective requests

324 and 334 for updating sidelink reference signal configurations, in an operation 312, the anchor UE 330 may determine to mute transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample based on the

respective requests

324 and 334.

The request 324 and the request 334 may include different sufficient numbers, so the target UE 310 may combine and resolve the

different requests

324 and 334. For example, the target UE 310 may use the highest sufficient number as the certain number and update the RS configuration.

If the target UE 310 is beamforming, it may use different RS resources for different anchor UEs. In this case the target UE 310 may determine the certain number per RS resource based on the

respective requests

324 and 334.

Referring to the FIG. 1, assuming that the target UE 310 transmits the RS samples over the RS resource 2 to the anchor UE 320 and transmits the RS samples over the RS resource 3 to the anchor UE 330, if the sufficient number in the request 324 is 2 and the sufficient number in the request 334 is 3, the target UE 310 may determine 3 as the certain number for the anchor UE 320 and the anchor UE 330, alternatively, the target UE 310 may determine 2 as the certain number for the

anchor UE

320 and 3 as the certain number for the anchor UE 330. Then, the target UE 310 may update the RS configuration accordingly.

Additionally, in an operation 314, the target UE 310 may remove at least one anchor UE based on the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the UE 310. For example, the target UE 310 may compute a mean and standard deviation of the sufficient numbers included in the respective requests such as the

requests

324 and 334, and use the mean and standard deviation to remove one or more anchor UEs that request outlier numbers of RS samples. Then, the target UE 310 may update the RS configuration accordingly.

Then, the target UE 310 may transmit, to the anchor UE 320 and the anchor UE 330 via sidelink, respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations. The respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations may comprise the certain number, respectively.

The dynamic reference signal sample transmission with respect to the sidelink based positioning is briefly described above. It may be appreciated the dynamic reference signal sample transmission described with respect to the Uu-positioning may also apply to the sidelink based positioning, except those obviously inapplicable in the sidelink-positioning.

According to the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE power wasted during RS transmissions for positioning may be saved and network resource efficiency may be improved, while the accuracy requirements may also be satisfied.

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 400 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The example method 400 may be performed for example at a terminal device such as the UE 210.

Referring to the FIG. 4, the example method 400 may include an operation 410 of receiving, from a network device, an indication indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and an operation 420 of muting the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the indicated at least one reference signal resource after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

Details of the operation 410 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the indication 232, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Details of the operation 420 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 214, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the example method 400 may further include an operation of after the muted transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples, resuming transmission over the indicated at least one reference signal resource. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 216, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the resuming may be performed without receiving an additional signaling. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 216, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the indication may further indicate a number of the one or more reference signal samples, the transmissions of which are to be muted. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the indication 232, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the example method 400 may further include an operation of reporting, to a location management device, power status of the terminal device. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the power status 212, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the example method 400 may further include an operation of receiving, from the network device, a signaling for activating pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource, the more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the signaling 234, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here; and an operation of transmitting at least one reference signal sample over the activated at least one reference signal resource, the more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 218, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the reference signal resource is a SRS resource, and the reference signal sample is a SRS sample.

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 500 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The example method 500 may be performed for example at a network device such as the network device 230.

Referring to the FIG. 5, the example method 500 may include an operation 510 of determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device; an operation 520 of transmitting, to a location management device, the determined number; an operation 530 of receiving, from the location management device, a message indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and an operation 540 of transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

Details of the operation 510 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 222, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Details of the operation 520 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the number 224, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Details of the operation 530 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the message 248, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Details of the operation 540 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the indication 232, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device may be determined based on channel metrics with respect to the terminal device, and the channel metrics may comprise at least one of the following: line of sight status, signal to interference plus noise ratio, reference signal received power, reference signal received path power, or reference signal received quality. The more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 222, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device may be determined based on measurement quality of at least one past reference signal sample. The more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 222, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device may be determined as a number range. The more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 222, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the example method 500 may further include an operation of after the muted transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples, receiving, from the terminal device, at least one reference signal sample over the indicated at least one reference signal resource. The more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 216, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the example method 500 may further include an operation of reporting, to the location management device, optimal resource block allocation. The more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the RB allocation 226, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the example method 500 may further include an operation of receiving, from the location management device, a message associated with activating pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device, the more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the message 284, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here; and an operation of transmitting, to the terminal device, a signaling for activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource, the more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the signaling 234, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

FIG. 6 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 600 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The example method 600 may be performed for example at a location management device such as the location management device 240.

Referring to the FIG. 6, the example method 600 may include an operation 610 of receiving, from a plurality of network devices, respective numbers of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device; an operation 620 of determining transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample, based at least on the respective numbers; and an operation 630 of transmitting, to a network device of the plurality of network devices, a message indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.

Details of the operation 610 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the number 224, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Details of the operation 620 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 246, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Details of the operation 630 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the message 248, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the example method 600 may further include an operation of receiving, from the terminal device, power status of the terminal device. The more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the power status 212, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the certain number may be determined further based on at least one of the following: the power status, positioning quality of service, or coarse location of the terminal device. The more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 246, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the example method 600 may further include an operation of determining an expected number of at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device, based on at least one of the following: the power status, positioning quality of service, a past measurement report or coarse location of the terminal device, the more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 242, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here; and an operation of transmitting, to the network device, the expected number, the more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the expected number 244, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the example method 600 may further include an operation of receiving, from the plurality of network devices, respective optimal resource block allocations, the more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the RB allocation 226, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here; an operation of determining from the plurality of network devices a set of network devices for positioning the terminal device based on comparison among the respective optimal resource block allocations, the more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 286, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here; and an operation of transmitting, to the terminal device, information on the set of network devices, the more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the information 288, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the example method 600 may further include an operation of determining to activate pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device, the more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 282, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here; and an operation of transmitting, to the network device, a message associated with activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device, the more details of which have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the message 284, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

FIG. 7 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 700 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The example method 700 may be performed for example at a terminal device such as the target UE 310.

Referring to the FIG. 7, the example method 700 may include an operation 710 of receiving, from a plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective requests for updating sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective requests comprising a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of the terminal device, respectively; an operation 720 of determining to mute transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample based on the respective requests; and an operation 730 of transmitting, to the plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations comprising the certain number, respectively.

Details of the operation 710 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the

requests

324 and 334, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Details of the operation 720 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 312, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Details of the operation 730 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the updated configuration 316, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the example method 700 may further include an operation of removing at least one anchor terminal device from the plurality of anchor terminal devices, based on the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 314, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

FIG. 8 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 800 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The example method 800 may be performed for example at a terminal device such as the anchor UE 320 or the anchor UE 330.

Referring to the FIG. 8, the example method 800 may include an operation 810 of determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a target terminal device; an operation 820 of transmitting, to the target terminal device via sidelink, a request for updating sidelink reference signal configuration, the request comprising the determined number; and an operation 830 of receiving, from the target terminal device, an updated sidelink reference signal configuration comprising a certain number, transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples by the target terminal device after the certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample to be muted.

Details of the operation 810 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the

operations

322 and 332, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Details of the operation 820 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the

requests

324 and 334, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Details of the operation 830 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the updated configuration 316, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 900 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device, for example, may be at least part of a terminal device such as the UE 210 in the above examples.

As shown in the FIG. 9, the example device 900 may include at least one processor 910 and at least one memory 920 that may include computer program code 930. The at least one memory 920 and the computer program code 930 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 910, cause the device 900 at least to perform the example method 400 described above.

In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 910 in the example device 900 may include, but not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU) , a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on for example Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) . Further, the at least one processor 910 may also include at least one other circuitry or element not shown in the FIG. 9.

In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 920 in the example device 900 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a random-access memory (RAM) , a cache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a read only memory (ROM) , a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. Further, the at least memory 920 may include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

Further, in various example embodiments, the example device 900 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, for example at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

In various example embodiments, the circuitries, parts, elements, and interfaces in the example device 900, including the at least one processor 910 and the at least one memory 920, may be coupled together via any suitable connections including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring and/or wireless lines, in any suitable ways, for example electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

It is appreciated that the structure of the device on the side of the UE 210 is not limited to the above example device 900.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 1000 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device, for example, may be at least part of a network device such as the network device 230 in the above examples.

As shown in the FIG. 10, the example device 1000 may include at least one processor 1010 and at least one memory 1020 that may include computer program code 1030. The at least one memory 1020 and the computer program code 1030 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 1010, cause the device 1000 at least to perform the example method 500 described above.

In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 1010 in the example device 1000 may include, but not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU) , a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on for example Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) . Further, the at least one processor 1010 may also include at least one other circuitry or element not shown in the FIG. 10.

In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 1020 in the example device 1000 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a random-access memory (RAM) , a cache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a read only memory (ROM) , a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. Further, the at least memory 1020 may include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

Further, in various example embodiments, the example device 1000 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, for example at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

In various example embodiments, the circuitries, parts, elements, and interfaces in the example device 1000, including the at least one processor 1010 and the at least one memory 1020, may be coupled together via any suitable connections including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring and/or wireless lines, in any suitable ways, for example electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

It is appreciated that the structure of the device on the side of the network device 230 is not limited to the above example device 1000.

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 1100 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device, for example, may be at least part of a location management device such as the location management device 240 in the above examples.

As shown in the FIG. 11, the example device 1100 may include at least one processor 1110 and at least one memory 1120 that may include computer program code 1130. The at least one memory 1120 and the computer program code 1130 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 1110, cause the device 1100 at least to perform the example method 600 described above.

In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 1110 in the example device 1100 may include, but not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU) , a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on for example Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) . Further, the at least one processor 1110 may also include at least one other circuitry or element not shown in the FIG. 11.

In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 1120 in the example device 1100 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a random-access memory (RAM) , a cache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a read only memory (ROM) , a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. Further, the at least memory 1120 may include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

Further, in various example embodiments, the example device 1100 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, for example at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

In various example embodiments, the circuitries, parts, elements, and interfaces in the example device 1100, including the at least one processor 1110 and the at least one memory 1120, may be coupled together via any suitable connections including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring and/or wireless lines, in any suitable ways, for example electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

It is appreciated that the structure of the device on the side of the location management device 240 is not limited to the above example device 1100.

FIG. 12 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 1200 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device, for example, may be at least part of a terminal device such as the target UE 310 in the above examples.

As shown in the FIG. 12, the example device 1200 may include at least one processor 1210 and at least one memory 1220 that may include computer program code 1230. The at least one memory 1220 and the computer program code 1230 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 1210, cause the device 1200 at least to perform the example method 700 described above.

In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 1210 in the example device 1200 may include, but not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU) , a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on for example Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) . Further, the at least one processor 1210 may also include at least one other circuitry or element not shown in the FIG. 12.

In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 1220 in the example device 1200 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a random-access memory (RAM) , a cache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a read only memory (ROM) , a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. Further, the at least memory 1220 may include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

Further, in various example embodiments, the example device 1200 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, for example at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

In various example embodiments, the circuitries, parts, elements, and interfaces in the example device 1200, including the at least one processor 1210 and the at least one memory 1220, may be coupled together via any suitable connections including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring and/or wireless lines, in any suitable ways, for example electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

It is appreciated that the structure of the device on the side of the target UE 310 is not limited to the above example device 1200.

FIG. 13 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 1300 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device, for example, may be at least part of a terminal device such as the anchor UE 320 or the anchor UE 330 in the above examples.

As shown in the FIG. 13, the example device 1300 may include at least one processor 1310 and at least one memory 1320 that may include computer program code 1330. The at least one memory 1320 and the computer program code 1330 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 1310, cause the device 1300 at least to perform the example method 800 described above.

In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 1310 in the example device 1300 may include, but not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU) , a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on for example Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) . Further, the at least one processor 1310 may also include at least one other circuitry or element not shown in the FIG. 13.

In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 1320 in the example device 1300 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a random-access memory (RAM) , a cache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a read only memory (ROM) , a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. Further, the at least memory 1320 may include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

Further, in various example embodiments, the example device 1300 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, for example at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

In various example embodiments, the circuitries, parts, elements, and interfaces in the example device 1300, including the at least one processor 1310 and the at least one memory 1320, may be coupled together via any suitable connections including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring and/or wireless lines, in any suitable ways, for example electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

It is appreciated that the structure of the device on the side of the anchor UE 320 or the anchor UE 330 is not limited to the above example device 1300.

FIG. 14 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 1400 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus, for example, may be at least part of a terminal device such as the UE 210 in the above examples.

As shown in FIG. 14, the example apparatus 1400 may include means 1410 for performing the operation 410 of the example method 400, and means 1420 for performing the operation 420 of the example method 400. In one or more another example embodiments, at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like may also be included in the example apparatus 1400.

In some example embodiments, examples of means in the example apparatus 1400 may include circuitries. For example, an example of means 1410 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 410 of the example method 400, and an example of means 1420 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 420 of the example method 400. In some example embodiments, examples of means may also include software modules and any other suitable function entities.

FIG. 15 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 1500 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus, for example, may be at least part of a network device such as the network device 230 in the above examples.

As shown in FIG. 15, the example apparatus 1500 may include means 1510 for performing the operation 510 of the example method 500, means 1520 for performing the operation 520 of the example method 500, means 1530 for performing the operation 530 of the example method 500, and means 1540 for performing the operation 540 of the example method 500. In one or more another example embodiments, at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like may also be included in the example apparatus 1500.

In some example embodiments, examples of means in the example apparatus 1500 may include circuitries. For example, an example of means 1510 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 510 of the example method 500, an example of means 1520 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 520 of the example method 500, an example of means 1530 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 530 of the example method 500, and an example of means 1540 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 540 of the example method 500. In some example embodiments, examples of means may also include software modules and any other suitable function entities.

FIG. 16 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 1600 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus, for example, may be at least part of a network device such as the location management device 240 in the above examples.

As shown in FIG. 16, the example apparatus 1600 may include means 1610 for performing the operation 610 of the example method 600, means 1620 for performing the operation 620 of the example method 600, and means 1630 for performing the operation 630 of the example method 600. In one or more another example embodiments, at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like may also be included in the example apparatus 1600.

In some example embodiments, examples of means in the example apparatus 1600 may include circuitries. For example, an example of means 1610 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 610 of the example method 600, an example of means 1620 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 620 of the example method 600, and an example of means 1630 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 630 of the example method 600. In some example embodiments, examples of means may also include software modules and any other suitable function entities.

FIG. 17 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 1700 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus, for example, may be at least part of a terminal device such as the target UE 310 in the above examples.

As shown in FIG. 17, the example apparatus 1700 may include means 1710 for performing the operation 710 of the example method 700, means 1720 for performing the operation 720 of the example method 700, and means 1730 for performing the operation 730 of the example method 700. In one or more another example embodiments, at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like may also be included in the example apparatus 1700.

In some example embodiments, examples of means in the example apparatus 1700 may include circuitries. For example, an example of means 1710 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 710 of the example method 700, an example of means 1720 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 720 of the example method 700, and an example of means 1730 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 730 of the example method 700. In some example embodiments, examples of means may also include software modules and any other suitable function entities.

FIG. 18 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 1800 for dynamic reference signal sample transmission according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus, for example, may be at least part of a terminal device such as the anchor UE 320 or the anchor UE 330 in the above examples.

As shown in FIG. 18, the example apparatus 1800 may include means 1810 for performing the operation 810 of the example method 800, means 1820 for performing the operation 820 of the example method 800, and means 1830 for performing the operation 830 of the example method 800. In one or more another example embodiments, at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like may also be included in the example apparatus 1800.

In some example embodiments, examples of means in the example apparatus 1800 may include circuitries. For example, an example of means 1810 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 810 of the example method 800, an example of means 1820 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 820 of the example method 800, and an example of means 1830 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 830 of the example method 800. In some example embodiments, examples of means may also include software modules and any other suitable function entities.

The term “circuitry” throughout this disclosure may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry) ; (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) (i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit (s) with software/firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor (s) with software (including digital signal processor (s) ) , software, and memory (ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) ; and (c) hardware circuit (s) and or processor (s) , such as a microprocessor (s) or a portion of a microprocessor (s) , that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. This definition of circuitry applies to one or all uses of this term in this disclosure, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this disclosure, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

Another example embodiment may relate to computer program codes or instructions which may cause an apparatus to perform at least respective methods described above. Another example embodiment may be related to a computer readable medium having such computer program codes or instructions stored thereon. In some embodiments, such a computer readable medium may include at least one storage medium in various forms such as a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a RAM, a cache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but not limited to, a ROM, a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. The non-volatile memory may also include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise, ” “comprising, ” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to. ” The word “coupled” , as generally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements. Likewise, the word “connected” , as generally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements. Additionally, the words “herein, ” “above, ” “below, ” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context permits, words in the description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number respectively. The word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

Moreover, conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can, ” “could, ” “might, ” “may, ” “e.g., ” “for example, ” “such as” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

As used herein, the term "determine/determining" (and grammatical variants thereof) can include, not least: calculating, computing, processing, deriving, measuring, investigating, looking up (for example, looking up in a table, a database or another data structure) , ascertaining and the like. Also, "determining" can include receiving (for example, receiving information) , accessing (for example, accessing data in a memory) , obtaining and the like. Also, "determine/determining" can include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

While some embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the apparatus, methods, and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, while blocks are presented in a given arrangement, alternative embodiments may perform similar functionalities with different components and/or circuit topologies, and some blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. At least one of these blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways. The order of these blocks may also be changed. Any suitable combination of the elements and actions of the some embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

Abbreviations used in the description and/or in the figures are defined as follows:

BS base station

CN core network

CQI channel quality indicator

DCI downlink control information

DL downlink

DM-RS demodulation reference signal

FR2 frequency range 2

ID identifier

LMF location management function

LoS line of sight

LPHAP low power high accuracy positioning

LTE long term evolution

LPP LTE positioning protocol

MAC-CE medium access control-control element

NR new radio

NRPPa new radio positioning protocol A

PRS positioning reference signal

QoS quality of service

RAN radio access network

RedCap reduced capability

RRC radio resource control

RS reference signal

RSRP reference signal receiving power

RSRPP reference signal received path power

RSRQ reference signal receiving quality

RB resource block

SDT small data transmission

SINR signal to interference plus noise ratio

SNR signal to noise ratio

SL sidelink

SRS sounding reference signal

TRP transmission and reception point

UE user equipment

UL uplink

Claims

A terminal device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to perform:

receiving, from a network device of a plurality of network devices, an indication indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and

muting the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the indicated at least one reference signal resource after the certain number of transmissions of the at least one reference signal sample.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to further perform:

after the muted transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples, resuming transmission over the indicated at least one reference signal resource.
The terminal device of claim 2, wherein the resuming is performed without receiving an additional signaling.
The terminal device of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the indication further indicates a number of the one or more reference signal samples, the transmissions of which are to be muted.
The terminal device of any of claim 1 to 4, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to further perform:

reporting, to a location management device, power status of the terminal device.
The terminal device of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to further perform:

receiving, from the network device, a signaling for activating pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource; and

transmitting at least one reference signal sample over the activated at least one reference signal resource.
The terminal device of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the reference signal resource is a sounding reference signal resource, and the reference signal sample is a sounding reference signal sample.
A network device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to perform:

determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device;

transmitting, to a location management device, the determined number;

receiving, from the location management device, a message indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and

transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmissions of the at least one reference signal sample.
The network device of claim 8, wherein the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device is determined based on channel metrics with respect to the terminal device, and the channel metrics comprises at least one of the following: line of sight status, signal to interference plus noise ratio, reference signal received power, reference signal received path power, or reference signal received quality.
The network device of claim 8, wherein the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device is determined based on measurement quality of at least one past reference signal sample.
The network device of claim 8, wherein the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device is determined as a number range.
The network device of any of claims 8 to 11, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to further perform:

after the muted transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples, receiving, from the terminal device, at least one reference signal sample over the indicated at least one reference signal resource.
The network device of any of claims 8 to 12, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to further perform:

reporting, to the location management device, optimal resource block allocation.
The network device of any of claims 8 to 13, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to further perform:

receiving, from the location management device, a message associated with activating pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device; and

transmitting, to the terminal device, a signaling for activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource.
A location management device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the location management device to perform:

receiving, from a plurality of network devices, respective numbers of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device;

determining transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample, based at least on the respective numbers; and

transmitting, to a network device of the plurality of network devices, a message indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmissions of the at least one reference signal sample.
The location management device of claim 15, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the location management device to further perform:

receiving, from the terminal device, power status of the terminal device.
The location management device of claim 16, wherein the certain number is determined further based on at least one of the following: the power status, positioning quality of service, or coarse location of the terminal device.
The location management device of claim 16, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the location management device to further perform:

determining an expected number of at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device, based on at least one of the following: the power status, positioning quality of service, a past measurement report or coarse location of the terminal device; and

transmitting, to the network device, the expected number.
The location management device of any of claims 15 to 18, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the location management device to further perform:

receiving, from the plurality of network devices, respective optimal resource block allocations;

determining from the plurality of network devices a set of network devices for positioning the terminal device based on comparison among the respective optimal resource block allocations; and

transmitting, to the terminal device, information on the set of network devices.
The location management device of any of claims 15 to 19, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the location management device to further perform:

determining to activate pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device; and

transmitting, to the network device, a message associated with activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device.
A terminal device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to perform:

receiving, from a plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective requests for updating sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective requests comprising a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of the terminal device, respectively;

determining to mute transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample based on the respective requests; and

transmitting, to the plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations comprising the certain number, respectively.
The terminal device of claim 21, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to further perform:

removing at least one anchor terminal device from the plurality of anchor terminal devices, based on the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device.
A terminal device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device as an anchor terminal device to perform:

determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a target terminal device;

transmitting, to the target terminal device via sidelink, a request for updating sidelink reference signal configuration, the request comprising the determined number; and

receiving, from the target terminal device, an updated sidelink reference signal configuration comprising a certain number, transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples by the target terminal device after the certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample to be muted.
A method performed by a terminal device, comprising:

receiving, from a network device of a plurality of network devices, an indication indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and

muting the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the indicated at least one reference signal resource after the certain number of transmissions of the at least one reference signal sample.
The method of claim 24, further comprising:

after the muted transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples, resuming transmission over the indicated at least one reference signal resource.
The method of claim 25, wherein the resuming is performed without receiving an additional signaling.
The method of any of claims 24 to 26, wherein the indication further indicates a number of the one or more reference signal samples, the transmissions of which are to be muted.
The method of any of claim 24 to 27, further comprising:

reporting, to a location management device, power status of the terminal device.
The method of any of claims 24 to 28, further comprising:

receiving, from the network device, a signaling for activating pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource; and

transmitting at least one reference signal sample over the activated at least one reference signal resource.
The method of any of claims 24 to 29, wherein the reference signal resource is a sounding reference signal resource, and the reference signal sample is a sounding reference signal sample.
A method performed by a network device, comprising:

determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device;

transmitting, to a location management device, the determined number;

receiving, from the location management device, a message indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and

transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmissions of the at least one reference signal sample.
The method of claim 31, wherein the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device is determined based on channel metrics with respect to the terminal device, and the channel metrics comprises at least one of the following: line of sight status, signal to interference plus noise ratio, reference signal received power, reference signal received path power, or reference signal received quality.
The method of claim 31, wherein the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device is determined based on measurement quality of at least one past reference signal sample.
The method of claim 31, wherein the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device is determined as a number range.
The method of any of claims 31 to 34, further comprising:

after the muted transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples, receiving, from the terminal device, at least one reference signal sample over the indicated at least one reference signal resource.
The method of any of claims 31 to 35, further comprising:

reporting, to the location management device, optimal resource block allocation.
The method of any of claims 31 to 36, further comprising:

receiving, from the location management device, a message associated with activating pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device; and

transmitting, to the terminal device, a signaling for activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource.
A method performed by a location management device, comprising:

receiving, from a plurality of network devices, respective numbers of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device;

determining transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample, based at least on the respective numbers; and

transmitting, to a network device of the plurality of network devices, a message indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmissions of the at least one reference signal sample.
The method of claim 38, further comprising:

receiving, from the terminal device, power status of the terminal device.
The method of claim 39, wherein the certain number is determined further based on at least one of the following: the power status, positioning quality of service, or coarse location of the terminal device.
The method of claim 39, further comprising:

determining an expected number of at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device, based on at least one of the following: the power status, positioning quality of service, a past measurement report or coarse location of the terminal device; and

transmitting, to the network device, the expected number.
The method of any of claims 38 to 41, further comprising:

receiving, from the plurality of network devices, respective optimal resource block allocations;

determining from the plurality of network devices a set of network devices for positioning the terminal device based on comparison among the respective optimal resource block allocations; and

transmitting, to the terminal device, information on the set of network devices.
The method of any of claims 38 to 42, further comprising:

determining to activate pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device; and

transmitting, to the network device, a message associated with activating the pre-reserved at least one reference signal resource for the terminal device.
A method performed by a terminal device, comprising:

receiving, from a plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective requests for updating sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective requests comprising a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of the terminal device, respectively;

determining to mute transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample based on the respective requests; and

transmitting, to the plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations comprising the certain number, respectively.
The method of claim 44, further comprising:

removing at least one anchor terminal device from the plurality of anchor terminal devices, based on the number of the at least one reference signal sample needed for the positioning measurement of the terminal device.
A method performed by an anchor terminal device, comprising:

determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a target terminal device;

transmitting, to the target terminal device via sidelink, a request for updating sidelink reference signal configuration, the request comprising the determined number; and

receiving, from the target terminal device, an updated sidelink reference signal configuration comprising a certain number, transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples by the target terminal device after the certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample to be muted.
An apparatus as a terminal device, comprising:

means for receiving, from a network device of a plurality of network devices, an indication indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and

means for muting the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the indicated at least one reference signal resource after the certain number of transmissions of the at least one reference signal sample.
An apparatus as a network device, comprising:

means for determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device;

means for transmitting, to a location management device, the determined number;

means for receiving, from the location management device, a message indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and

means for transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmissions of the at least one reference signal sample.
An apparatus as a location management device, comprising:

means for receiving, from a plurality of network devices, respective numbers of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device;

means for determining transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample, based at least on the respective numbers; and

means for transmitting, to a network device of the plurality of network devices, a message indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmission of the at least one reference signal sample.
An apparatus as a terminal device, comprising:

means for receiving, from a plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective requests for updating sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective requests comprising a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of the terminal device, respectively;

means for determining to mute transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample based on the respective requests; and

means for transmitting, to the plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations comprising the certain number, respectively.
An apparatus as an anchor terminal device, comprising:

means for determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a target terminal device;

means for transmitting, to the target terminal device via sidelink, a request for updating sidelink reference signal configuration, the request comprising the determined number; and

means for receiving, from the target terminal device, an updated sidelink reference signal configuration comprising a certain number, transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples by the target terminal device after the certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample to be muted.
A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a terminal device to perform:

receiving, from a network device of a plurality of network devices, an indication indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and

muting the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the indicated at least one reference signal resource after the certain number of transmissions of the at least one reference signal sample.
A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a network device to perform:

determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device;

transmitting, to a location management device, the determined number;

receiving, from the location management device, a message indicating transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample; and

transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmissions of the at least one reference signal sample.
A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a location management device to perform:

receiving, from a plurality of network devices, respective numbers of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a terminal device;

determining transmissions of one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over at least one reference signal resource to be muted after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample, based at least on the respective numbers; and

transmitting, to a network device of the plurality of network devices, a message indicating the transmissions of the one or more reference signal samples by the terminal device over the at least one reference signal resource to be muted after the certain number of transmissions of the at least one reference signal sample.
A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a terminal device to perform:

receiving, from a plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective requests for updating sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective requests comprising a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of the terminal device, respectively;

determining to mute transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples over at least one reference signal resource after a certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample based on the respective requests; and

transmitting, to the plurality of anchor terminal devices via sidelink, respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations, the respective updated sidelink reference signal configurations comprising the certain number, respectively.
A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an anchor terminal device to perform:

determining a number of at least one reference signal sample needed for a positioning measurement of a target terminal device;

transmitting, to the target terminal device via sidelink, a request for updating sidelink reference signal configuration, the request comprising the determined number; and

receiving, from the target terminal device, an updated sidelink reference signal configuration comprising a certain number, transmissions of one or more sidelink reference signal samples by the target terminal device after the certain number of transmissions of at least one reference signal sample to be muted.