WO2024027912A1

WO2024027912A1 - Coordinating selection of positioning reference signal components

Info

Publication number: WO2024027912A1
Application number: PCT/EP2022/071850
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joerg Schaepperle; Stepan Kucera
Original assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2022-08-03
Filing date: 2022-08-03
Publication date: 2024-02-08

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, methods, apparatuses and computer readable storage media of coordinating the selection of the Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) components. The method comprises receiving, from a network element, information indicative of a plurality of PRS components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; and reporting, to the network element, a numerical count of one or more PRS components, selected from the plurality of PRS components, to be used at the terminal device. In this way, by managing the corresponding priority assignment to individual PRS components, the network may easily control without excessive signaling of (un)used components how the UEs use the PRS components.

Description

COORDINATING SELECTION OF POSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNAL COMPONENTS

FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunication and in particular to devices, methods, apparatuses and computer readable storage media for coordinating the selection of the Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) components.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Positioning in 5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology (5G) new radio (NR) has been further developed for accuracy improvements and Low-power/low-complexity, especially for the devices having reduced capability (RedCap).

SUMMARY

[0003] In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution of coordinating the selection of the Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) components.

[0004] In a first aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to receive, from a network element, information indicative of a plurality of PRS components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; and report, to the network element, a numerical count of one or more PRS components selected from the plurality of PRS components, to be used at the terminal device.

[0005] In a second aspect, there is provided a network element. The network element includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network element at least to transmit, to one or more terminal devices, information indicative of a plurality of PRS components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; and determine at least one PRS components in the plurality of PRS components to be disabled.

[0006] In a third aspect, there is provide a method. The method includes receiving by a terminal device, from a network element, information indicative of a plurality of PRS components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; and reporting, to the network element, a numerical count of one or more PRS components, selected from the plurality of PRS components, to be used at the terminal device.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, there is provide a method. The method includes transmitting by a network element, to one or more terminal devices, information indicative of a plurality of PRS components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; and determining at least one PRS components in the plurality of PRS components to be disabled.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus includes means for receiving, from a network element, information indicative of a plurality of PRS components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; and means for reporting, to the network element, a numerical count of one or more PRS components, selected from the plurality of PRS components, to be used at the terminal device.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus includes means for transmitting, to one or more terminal devices, information indicative of a plurality of PRS components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; and means for determining at least one PRS components in the plurality of PRS components to be disabled.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having a computer program stored thereon which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to carry out the method according to the fourth aspect, the fifth aspect or the sixth aspect.

[0011] Other features and advantages of the 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 embodiments of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Embodiments of the disclosure are presented in the sense of examples and their advantages are explained in greater detail below, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0014] FIG. 2 shows a signaling chart illustrating a process of coordinating the selection of the PRS components according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 3 shows a signaling chart illustrating a process of coordinating the selection of the PRS components according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIGS. 4A-4C show diagrams of PRS components having different priorities according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example method of coordinating the selection of the PRS components according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an example method of coordinating the selection of the PRS components according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG. 7 shows a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0020] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of an example computer readable medium in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may represent the same or similar element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Embodiments described herein may be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

[0023] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein may have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0024] References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0025] It shall be understood that although the terms “first,” “second” and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0026] As used herein, “at least one of the following: <a list of two or more elements>” and “at least one of <a list of two or more elements>” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0027] As used herein, unless stated explicitly, performing a step “in response to A” does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after “A” occurs and one or more intervening steps may be included.

[0028] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “has”, “having”, “includes” and/or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and/ or combinations thereof.

[0029] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” 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) and

(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable):

(i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuits) 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.

[0030] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, 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 particular 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.

[0031] As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and so on. Furthermore, the communications between a terminal device and a network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, and/or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.

[0032] As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-ground network device such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology. In some example embodiments, radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a Centralized Unit (CU) and a Distributed Unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. An IAB node includes a Mobile Terminal (IAB-MT) part that behaves like a UE toward the parent node, and a DU part of an IAB node behaves like a base station toward the next-hop IAB node.

[0033] The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS), or an Access Terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and/or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and/or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and/or industrial wireless networks, and the like. The terminal device may also correspond to a Mobile Termination (MT) part of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms “terminal device”, “communication device”, “terminal”, “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0034] As used herein, the term “resource,” “transmission resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block” (PRB), “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” may refer to any resource for performing a communication, for example, a communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as a resource in time domain, a resource in frequency domain, a resource in space domain, a resource in code domain, or any other resource enabling a communication, and the like. In the following, unless explicitly stated, a resource in both frequency domain and time domain will be used as an example of a transmission resource for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It is noted that example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

Example Environment

[0035] FIG. 1 shows an example communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication network 100 may include terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2. Hereinafter the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 may also be referred to as UE 110-1 and UE 110-2, respectively, or may also be referred to as a terminal device 110 or a UE 110 collectively.

[0036] The communication network 100 may further include a network device 120. Hereinafter the network device 120 may also be referred to as a gNB 120 or a network element 120. The terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 may communicate with the network device 120 respectively.

[0037] It is to be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices shown in FIG. 1 is given for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations. The communication network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0038] In some example embodiments, links from the second device 120 to the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 may be referred to as a downlink (DL), while links from the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 to the network device 120 may be referred to as an uplink (UL). In DL, the network device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or a transmitter) and the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 are receiving (RX) devices (or receivers). In UL, the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 are TX devices (or transmitters) and the network device 120 is a RX device (or a receiver).

[0039] The communication network 100 may also include a Location Management Function (LMF) 130, which may be considered as a management entity or a management node of the communication network 100. Hereinafter the LMF 130 may also be referred to as a network element 130. The LMF 130 may communication with the network device 120 and with the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2. The LMF 130 may receive measurements information from the network device 120 and the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2, for example, via the access and mobility management function (AMF) to compute the position of the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2.

[0040] Communications in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any proper communication protocol(s), includes, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), the fifth generation (5G), the sixth generation (6G), and the like, wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and the like, and/or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Moreover, the communication may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, includes but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and/or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0041] As described, 5G NR position has been developed for accuracy improvements. For the UEs, especially for the “RedCap” devices, which may have a limited transceiver bandwidth, the bandwidth of PRS required for positioning these UEs with the required accuracy may be a multiple of the transceiver bandwidth of these UEs.

[0042] One component of the bandwidth may correspond to the transceiver bandwidth, while the overall bandwidth may be the one required for achieving a certain positioning accuracy. In the frequency domain, there is an overlap of, e.g., one PRB between the PRS components for measuring the phase and compensating for the unknown phase rotation due to oscillator tuning between reception of the components. The centre frequency of the receiver may be tuned between receiving components by a bit less than the width of the component. In the time domain, each component occupies a different time slot. For oscillator tuning, there is a time gap between components.

[0043] Each UE may decide to only receive the components required to achieve a certain positioning accuracy. In other words, some components may be removed by the UE from the subset of the used components. The PRS components that are used by none of the UEs may be switched off by the gNB and the radio resources may be used for other purposes like data transmission. This would be particularly desirable in sidelink scenarios where the PRS must co-exist with data transmission within the same resource pool.

[0044] Based on the random-access theory, the PRS component usage among active UEs may need to be synchronized because otherwise the likelihood that a PRS component could be safely deactivated is very low, especially under high UE numbers. Furthermore, in order to reuse the unused PRS components, the used components need to be reported to the LMF. In case of uncoordinated decisions by the UEs, the reporting load may be high because not just the number of components but also the set of used components needs to be reported.

[0045] Therefore, the problem of how the gNB could deactivate all other PRS components that are not actively used still needs to be discussed.

Work Principle and Example Signalins for Communication

[0046] According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a solution for coordinating the selection of the PRS components. In this solution, the terminal device receives, from a network element, an indication associated with corresponding priorities of a plurality of candidate PRS components which are preconfigured to be used by the terminal device for a positioning measurement. The terminal device may select, from the plurality of candidate PRS components, one or more target PRS components based on the priorities and transmits, to the network element, a report that includes a numerical count or a specified number of the one or more target PRS components which are to be actively used by the terminal device for the positioning measurement. In this way, by managing corresponding priorities assignment to individual PRS components, the network may easily control without excessive signaling of (un)used components how the UEs use the PRS components.

[0047] Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which shows a signaling chart 200 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the signaling chart 200 involves a UE 110 (i.e., a user equipment or a terminal device), and network elements or network entities, i.e., the gNB 120 and the LMF (location management function) 130. For the purpose of discussion, reference is made to FIG. 1 to describe the signaling chart 200. Although a single UE 110 is illustrated in FIG.

2, it would be appreciated that there may be a plurality of UEs performing similar operations as described with respect to the UE 110 below.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 2, the LMF 130 may determine (step 202) a PRS configuration including a plurality of candidate PRS components for, for example, a positioning measurement to be performed at the UE 110, and corresponding priorities of the plurality of candidate PRS components.

[0050] In an example, the plurality of candidate PRS components configured by the LMF 130 may be selected from a resource pool within an entire bandwidth in a case where the UE 110 may be capable of using an entire bandwidth. For example, the plurality of candidate PRS components may be overlapped or partially overlapped in the frequency domain within a certain bandwidth. In another example, the plurality of candidate PRS components may also be non-overlapped.

[0051] It may also be possible that the UE 110 may indicate to the LMF 130, a numerical count of PRS components allowed to be measured in one time slot. For example, for a RedCap UE, the UE 110 may indicate in its capability report that only a single PRS component may be measured in a given time slot. The capability report may be delivered to the LMF 130 via the AMF (not shown).

[0052] The LMF 130 then may transmit (step 204) information indicating a plurality of candidate PRS components with their corresponding priorities to the UE 110. For example, an indication of the corresponding priorities may be transmitted from the LMF 130 to the UE 110 based on a Long Term Evolution Location Protocol (LLP).

[0053] The LMF 130 may also inform (step 206) the gNB 120 the PRS configuration for the UE 110 including the plurality of candidate PRS components and their corresponding priorities.

[0054] Based on the priorities, the UE 110 may select (step 208) one or more target PRS components required for a positioning measurement from the plurality of candidate PRS components.

[0055] In some example embodiments, a total number (i.e., a numerical count) of target PRS components to be actively used by the UE 110 for the positioning measurement may be determined by the UE 110 based on the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the positioning measurement. Alternatively or optionally, the UE 110 may also determine that this total number be jointly based on its capability, its traveling speed or a quality of reference signal received by the UE 110.

[0056] Based on the determined total number and the received priorities of the plurality of candidate PRS components, the UE 110 may determine which of the target PRS component(s) to be actively used by the UE 110 for the positioning measurement.

[0057] In an option, corresponding priorities to a plurality of candidate PRS components may be explicitly or implicitly indicated to the UE. For example, in case of positioning measurement performed at the UE 110, a candidate PRS component with a priority of a low numerical value may represent a low priority in measuring the candidate PRS component at the UE 110. A candidate PRS component with a priority of a high numerical value may represent a high priority in measuring the candidate PRS component at the UE 110. In another implementation, priority numerical value may represent measurement priority in reversed order (i.e., a priority with a low numerical value may represent a high priority in measuring the candidate PRS components at the UE 110). In an implementation, numerical values of corresponding priorities of the plurality of candidate PRS components may be assigned by the LMF 130 explicitly. In this case, the UE 110 may select a subset of candidate PRS components having higher priorities than another candidate PRS components in the plurality of candidate PRS components, as the target PRS component s). For example, the UE 110 may be a RedCap UE which measures only a single PRS component at a given time, the UE 110 may select a candidate PRS component having the highest priority (e g., with a high priority numerical value) from among the plurality of candidate PRS components as the target PRS component to be actively used by the UE 110 for the positioning measurement.

[0058] In another option, the corresponding priorities of the target PRS components may be implicitly indicated to the UE 110. In this case, the usage of target PRS components may be coordinated between the LMF 130 and UE 110 by standardizing to designate that each UE should first remove the PRS components with the lowest centre frequency from the target PRS component(s).

[0059] After determining the one or more target PRS components to be actively used by the UE 110 for the positioning measurement, the UE 110 may report (step 210) a numerical count of the selected target PRS component(s) to the LMF 130. In an example, the numerical count of the selected target PRS component(s) may refer to a numerical value or a number of counts out of a total number of target PRS component(s) selected by the UE 110 to be used for positioning measurement at the UE 110.

[0060] Based on a report of the numerical count of the selected target PRS component(s) selected by the UE 110 and the corresponding priorities, the LMF 130 may be aware of the selected PRS component(s) to be actively used by the UE 110 for the positioning measurement. For example, if the UE 110 reports two PRS components selected from the plurality of candidate PRS components that are being used for the positioning measurement, the LMF 130 may be aware that the two candidate PRS components having higher priorities in the plurality of candidate PRS components may be selected by the UE 110. Then the LMF 130 may determine (step 212) that other candidate PRS components that are not selected by the UE 110 for the positioning measurement, are to be disabled.

[0061] Alternatively, the LMF 130 may indicate (step 214), to the gNB 120, that the candidate PRS components which are to be disabled are based on low numerical values of the corresponding priorities. That is, the candidate PRS components to be disabled may be switched off by the gNB 120. For example, these candidate PRS components with low corresponding priorities (i.e, lower numerical value) may be allocated for other transmission. [0062] According to the solution of the present disclosure, the LMF may only need to advertise how many PRS components are to be used by each UE, such that the network may easily be controlled without excessive signalling of (un)used components how the UEs may use the PRS components. In other words, a distributed but fully synchronized usage of active PRS components may be achieved by individual UEs without any overhead signalling. In this way, the serving gNB may then temporarily deactivate unused PRS components (components that are used by none of the UEs) to free up space for data transmission.

[0063] FIGS. 4A to 4C shows example of configured PRS components with respective priorities assigned by a network element, for example, the LMF 130. With reference to FIGS. 4A to 4C, the configuration for the plurality of candidate PRS components and their priorities and the selection of the target PRS components may be explained in detail as below. As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the configured PRS components may be assigned with different corresponding priorities.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 4A, there are eight PRS components, namely components 401-408, allocated to the UE 110 for the positioning measurement, which may be considered as the plurality of candidate PRS components as described above. Each PRS component may be assigned with a corresponding priority, for example, the PRS component 401 may be assigned with a corresponding priority of numerical value 0 and the PRS component 408 may be assigned with a corresponding priority of numerical value 1.

[0065] Assuming that only two PRS components are required for the UE 110 to perform the positioning measurement, the UE 110 may then select two PRS components having higher priorities to be actively used for the positioning measurement and report to the LMF 130 with a numerical value of “2”.

[0066] For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, PRS component 404 may be assigned with a corresponding priority of numerical value 6 and PRS component 405 may be assigned with a corresponding priority of numerical value 7. In this case, PRS component 404 and 405 may be selected by the UE 110 to be used for the positioning measurement. Therefore,, based on the configuring of the corresponding priorities, the PRS components in the middle of the frequency band may preferably be used for positioning measurement preferably.

[0067] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4B, there are eight PRS components, namely components 411-418, allocated to the UE 110 for the positioning measurement, while as shown in FIG. 4C, there are eight PRS components, namely components 421-428, allocated to the UE 110 for the positioning measurement. Each PRS component may be assigned with a corresponding priority of certain numerical value.

[0068] Assuming that only two PRS components may be required for the UE 110 to perform the positioning measurement, in the case of FIG. 4B, the PRS component 417 assigned with the corresponding priority of numerical value 6 and the PRS component 418 assigned with the corresponding priority of numerical value 7 may be selected by the UE 110 to be used for the positioning measurement. That is, based on the configuring of the corresponding priorities, the PRS components at the low frequencies may be used preferably for positioning measurement. The UE 110 may then report to the LMF 130 with number “2” to designate a numerical count which the candidate PRS components may be used for the positioning measurement.

[0069] In the case of FIG. 4C, the PRS component 421 assigned with the corresponding priority of numerical value 6 and the PRS component 428 assigned with the corresponding priority of numerical value 7 may be selected by the UE 110 to be used for the positioning measurement. In this case, the PRS components at both band edges may be used preferably for maximizing the overall bandwidth.

[0070] As shown, gaps may be generated in the wideband PRS by removing components from the set of used components. By assigning priorities, the network (the gNB 120 or the LMF 130) may have more flexibility in influencing the use of PRS resources. In all three cases as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the likelihood that some PRS components are not used at all is increased compared to the case with no coordination. With designating the corresponding priorities in the candidate PRS components, the network may then define which PRS components should be used preferably when only a subset (e.g., PRS components 421 and 428) instead of all or entire PRS components, is processed.

[0071] In some example embodiments, it is also possible that the the plurality of candidate PRS components priorities and priorities of the candidate PRS components may also be configured by the gNB 120. Reference is now made to FIG. 3, which shows a signaling chart 300 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the signaling chart 300 involves the UE 110, the gNB 120 and the LMF 130. For the purpose of discussion, reference is made to FIG. 1 to describe the signaling chart 300. Although a single UE 110 and is illustrated in FIG. 3, it would be appreciated that there may be a plurality of UEs performing similar operations as described with respect to the UE 110 below.

[0072] The gNB 120 may determine 302 a PRS configuration including a plurality of candidate PRS components and the corresponding priorities of the plurality of candidate PRS components (e.g., 421-428 in FIG. 4C).

[0073] For example, the plurality of candidate PRS components configured by the gNB 120 may be selected from a resource pool within an entire bandwidth in a case where the UE 110 is capable to use the entire bandwidth. For example, the plurality of candidate PRS components may be overlapped or partially overlapped in the frequency domain within a certain bandwidth. For example, the plurality of candidate PRS components may also be non-overlapped.

[0074] It is also possible that the UE 110 may also indicate to the gNB 120, a number or a numerical count of PRS components which are allowed to be measured in a single time slot. For example, for a RedCap UE, the UE 110 may indicate in its capability report that only 1 PRS component may be measured in a given time slot. The capability report may be delivered to the gNB 120 via RRC signalling.

[0075] The gNB 120 may transmit (step 304) information of PRS configuration including a plurality of candidate PRS components and the corresponding priorities of the plurality of candidate PRS components. For example, the gNB 120 may transmit the information to the UE 110 via a RRC signalling or a generic SIB signalling. Alternatively, the gNB 120 may also transmit (step 306) the information of PRS configuration to the LMF 130. Then the PRS configuration including the corresponding priorities of the plurality of candidate PRS components may be transmitted (step 308) from the LMF 130 to the UE 110 based on the LLP.

[0076] Based on the priorities, the UE 110 may select (step 310) one or more target PRS components required for a positioning measurement from the plurality of candidate PRS components.

[0077] In some example embodiments, the total number such as a numerical count (e.g., 2 in FIG. 4C) of target PRS components (e.g., 421, 428 in FIG. 4C) to be actively used by the UE 110 for the positioning measurement may be determined by the UE 110 based on the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the positioning measurement. Alternatively or optionally, the UE 110 may also determine this total number or the numerical count based on its capability, its traveling speed or a quality of reference signal received by the UE 110.

[0078] Based on the determined total number and the received priorities of the plurality of candidate PRS components, the UE 110 may determine the target PRS component(s) (e.g., 421, 428 in FIG. 4C) to be actively used by the UE 110 for the positioning measurement.

[0079] As an option, corresponding priorities of the candidate PRS components may be explicitly indicated to the UE. That is, the corresponding priorities may be assigned by the LMF 130 explicitly. In this case, the UE 110 may select a subset of candidate PRS components (e g., 421, 428 in FIG. 4C) having higher priorities (6 and 7) than other candidate PRS components (422 to 427 in FIG. 4C) in the plurality of candidate PRS components, as the target PRS component(s). For example, if the UE 110 is a RedCap UE which may measure only a single PRS component at a given time, the UE 110 may select a candidate PRS component (e.g., 428) having the highest priority (e g., 7) from the plurality of candidate PRS components as the target PRS component to be actively used by the UE 110 for the positioning measurement.

[0080] As another option, the corresponding priority may be implicitly indicated to the UE 110. In this case, the usage of target PRS components may be coordinated between the LMF 130 and UE 110 by standardizing that each UE should remove first the PRS component with the lowest centre frequency from the target PRS component s).

[0081] After determining the one or more target PRS components to be actively used by the UE 110 for the positioning measurement, the UE 110 may report (step 312) to the gNB 120 the numerical count of the selected target PRS component(s).

[0082] Based on the report of the numerical count of the selected target PRS component(s) selected by the UE 110 and the corresponding priorities, the gNB 120 may be aware of the PRS component s) to be actively used by the UE 110 for the positioning measurement. For example, if the UE 110 reports two PRS components selected from the plurality of candidate PRS components are used for the positioning measurement, the gNB 120 may be aware of two candidate PRS components having higher priorities in the plurality of candidate PRS components are selected by the UE 110. Then the gNB 120 may determine 314 other candidate PRS components, that are not selected by the UE 110 for the positioning measurement, to be disabled and may further switched off the candidate PRS components to be disabled.

[0083] Alternatively, the gNB 120 may forward 316 the report to the LMF 130 to indicate the number or the numerical count of the selected target PRS component(s) selected by the UE 110. In this case, the LMF 130 may determine 318 the candidate PRS components, that are not selected by the UE 110 for the positioning measurement, to be disabled based on the reported number of the selected target PRS component(s) selected by the UE 110 and the corresponding priority.

[0084] In this case, it is also possible that the UE 110 report 320 the numerical count for the selected target PRS component(s) to the LMF 130. The LMF 130 may determine 318 the candidate PRS components to be disabled based on the reported number or numerical count of the selected target PRS component(s) selected by the UE 110 and the corresponding priority.

[0085] The configuration for the plurality of candidate PRS components and their priorities and the selection of the target PRS components may be shown with reference to FIGS. 4Ato 4C and will be omitted here.

[0086] In this way, specify individual active PRS components for each UE may be avoided. Furthermore, the likelihood of a component not being used by any UE is substantially increased and unused components may then be easily identified and muted for other transmission, which may significantly improve the efficiency of resource utilization.

[0087] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example method 500 of coordinating the selection of the PRS components according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 500 may be implemented at the terminal device 110 as shown in FIG. 1. For the purpose of discussion, the method 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0088] At 510, the terminal device 110 receives, from a network element 120, information indicative of a plurality of PRS components (e.g., 401 to 408) within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities (0 to 7) of the plurality of PRS components. The plurality of PRS components are associated with respective subparts (e.g., 404, 405) of the bandwidth area.

[0089] In some example embodiments, the plurality of PRS components are overlapped, partially overlapped or non-overlapped in a frequency domain.

[0090] In some example embodiments, the terminal device may receive, from the network element, the information via at least one of the following: a radio resource control (RRC) signaling, a system information block (SIB), or a long term evolution positioning protocol.

[0091] At 520, the terminal device transmits, to the network element, a numerical count (e.g., 2) of one or more PRS components (e.g., 404, 405), selected from the plurality of PRS components (401 to 408), to be used at the terminal device.

[0092] In some example embodiments, the numerical count (e.g., 2) of the one or more selected PRS components is dependent at least on the corresponding priorities (e.g., 6, 7).

[0093] In some example embodiments, the numerical count of the one or more selected PRS components is based on at least one of the following: device capability, device positioning accuracy requirement, quality of received signals, or device traveling speed. The numerical count (e.g., 2) of the one or more selected PRS components (404, 405) having higher priorities (e.g., 6, 7) than the remaining unselected PRS components (401 to 403, 406 to 408) of the plurality of PRS components

[0094] In some example embodiments, the remaining unselected PRS components (401 to 403, 406 to 408) are muted for the terminal device 110.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the terminal device may report the numerical count (e.g., 2) of the one or more selected PRS components (404, 405) via at least one of the following: the radio resource control signaling, or the long-term evolution positioning protocol.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the network element may include a base station 120 or an LMF 130.

[0097] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an example method 600 of coordinating the selection of the PRS components according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 600 may be implemented at the network element 120 or the network device 130 as shown in FIG. 1. For the purpose of discussion, the method 600 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0098] At 610, the network element 120 transmits, to one or more terminal devices 110, information indicative of a plurality of PRS components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities (0 to 7) of the plurality of PRS components (401 to 407). The plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the plurality of PRS components are overlapped, partially overlapped or non-overlapped in a frequency domain.

[00100] In some example embodiments, the network element may determine the priorities at the network element; or based on a configuration of the priorities configured by another network element.

[00101] In some example embodiments, the network element may transmit the information to the one or more terminal devices via at least one of the following: a radio resource control signaling, a system information block or an LLP signaling.

[00102] At 620, the network element determine at least one PRS components in the plurality of PRS components to be disabled.

[00103] In some example embodiments, the network element may receive, from the one or more terminal devices or another network element, respective numerical counts of one or more PRS components to be used at the one or more terminal device; and determine, based on the priorities and the respective numbers, at least one PRS components to be disabled.

[00104] In some example embodiments, each respective number indicates a number for one or more PRS components which are to be actively used by each of the one or more terminal devices.

[00105] In some example embodiments, the network element may determine the at least one PRS components to be disabled based on information of one or more disabled PRS components determined by another network element.

[00106] In some example embodiments, the network element may transmit, to another network element, information of one or more disabled PRS components.

[00107] In some example embodiments, the network element may include a base station 120 and the another network element may include an LMF 130.

[00108] In some example embodiments, the network element may include an LMF, and the another network element may include a base station.

[00109] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 500 (for example, implemented at the terminal device 110) may include means for performing the respective steps of the method 500. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

[00110] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes means for receiving, from a network element, information indicative of a plurality of PRS components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; and means for reporting, to the network element, a numerical count of one or more PRS components, selected from the plurality of PRS components, to be used at the terminal device.

[00111] In some example embodiments, the plurality of PRS components are overlapped, partially overlapped or non-overlapped in a frequency domain.

[00112] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may also include means for receiving, from the network element, information via at least one of the following: a radio resource control signaling, a system information block, or a long-term evolution positioning protocol.

[00113] In some example embodiments, the numerical count of the one or more selected PRS components is dependent at least on the corresponding priorities.

[00114] In some example embodiments, the numerical count of the one or more selected PRS components is based on at least one of the following: device capability, device positioning accuracy requirement, quality of received signals, or device traveling speed; and wherein the one or more target PRS components having higher priorities than the remaining unselected candidate PRS components in the plurality of candidate PRS components.

[00115] In some example embodiments, the remaining unselected PRS components are muted for the terminal device.

[00116] In some example embodiments, the means for reporting, to the network element further includes means for reporting the numerical count of the one or more selected PRS components via at least one of the following: the radio resource control signaling, or the long-term evolution positioning protocol.

[00117] In some example embodiments, the network element may include a base station or an LMF.

[00118] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 600 (for example, implemented at the network element 120 or 130) may include means for performing the respective steps of the method 600. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

[00119] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes means for transmitting, to one or more terminal devices, information indicative of a plurality of PRS components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; and means for determining at least one PRS components in the plurality of PRS components to be disabled.

[00120] In some example embodiments, the plurality of PRS components are overlapped, partially overlapped or non-overlapped in a frequency domain.

[00121] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may also include means for determining the priorities at the network element; or based on a configuration of the priorities received from another network element.

[00122] In some example embodiments, the means for transmitting the information may include means for transmitting the information to the one or more terminal devices via at least one of the following: a radio resource control signaling, a system information block, or a long-term evolution positioning protocol.

[00123] In some example embodiments, the means for determining the at least one PRS components to be disabled may also include means for receiving, from the one or more terminal devices or another network element, respective numerical counts of one or more PRS components to be used at the one or more terminal device; and means for determining, based on the priorities and the respective numbers, at least one PRS components to be disabled.

[00124] In some example embodiments, wherein each respective number indicates a numerical count of one or more PRS components which are to be actively used by each of the one or more terminal devices.

[00125] In some example embodiments, the means for determining the at least one PRS components to be disabled may also include means for determining the at least one PRS components to be disabled based on information of one or more disabled PRS components received from another network element.

[00126] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may also include means for transmitting, to another network element, information of one or more disabled PRS components.

[00127] In some example embodiments, the another network element may include a base station or an LMF.

[00128] In some example embodiments, the network element may include an LMF if the network element includes a base station, and the network element may comprise a base station if the network element comprises an LMF.

[00129] FIG. 7 is a simplified block diagram of a device 700 that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 700 may be provided to implement a communication device, for example, the terminal device 110 or the network element 120 or 130 as shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processor 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to the processor 710.

[00130] The communication module 740 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 740 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interfaces may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 740 may include at least one antenna.

[00131] The processor 710 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 700 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

[00132] The memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 724, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disk (DVD), an optical disk, a laser disk, and other magnetic storage and/or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

[00133] A computer program 730 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 710. The instructions of the program 730 may include instructions for performing operations/acts of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 730 may be stored in the memory, e.g., the ROM 724. The processor 710 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 730 into the RAM 722.

[00134] The example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 730 so that the device 700 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 6. The example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[00135] In some example embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly contained in a computer readable medium which may be included in the device 700 (such as in the memory 720) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 700. The device 700 may load the program 730 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 722 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may include any types of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like. The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[00136] FIG. 8 shows an example of the computer readable medium 800 which may be in form of CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 800 has the program 730 stored thereon.

[00137] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[00138] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer readable medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor, to carry out any of the methods as described above. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[00139] Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

[00140] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

[00141] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. [00142] Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Unless explicitly stated, certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in a plurality of embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

[00143] Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A terminal device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to: receive, from a network element, information indicative of a plurality of Positioning Reference Signal, PRS, components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; and report, to the network element, a numerical count of one or more PRS components selected from the plurality of PRS components to be used at the terminal device.

2. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of PRS components are overlapped, partially overlapped or non-overlapped in a frequency domain.

3. The terminal device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the terminal device is caused to: receive, from the network element, the information via at least one of the following: a radio resource control signaling, a system information block, or a long term evolution positioning protocol.

4. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the numerical count of the one or more selected PRS components is dependent at least on the corresponding priorities.

5. The terminal device of claim 1 or 4, wherein the numerical count of the one or more selected PRS components is based on at least one of the following: device capability, device positioning accuracy requirement, quality of received signals, device traveling speed; and the numerical count of the one or more selected PRS components having higher priorities than the remaining unselected PRS components of the plurality of PRS components.

6. The terminal device of claim 5, wherein the remaining unselected PRS components are muted for the terminal device.

7. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device is caused to report, to the network element, the numerical count of the one or more selected PRS components via at least one of the following: the radio resource control signaling, or the long term evolution positioning protocol.

8. The terminal device of any of claims 1-7, wherein the network element comprises one of: a base station and a Location Management Function.

9. A network element comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network element at least to: transmit, to one or more terminal devices, information indicative of a plurality of Positioning Reference Signal, PRS, components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; and determine at least one PRS components in the plurality of PRS components to be disabled.

10. The network element of claim 9, wherein the plurality of PRS components are overlapped, partially overlapped or non-overlapped in a frequency domain.

11. The network element of claim 9, wherein the network element is caused to determine the corresponding priorities at the network element; or based on a configuration of the corresponding priorities configured by another network element.

12 The network element of claim 9, wherein the network element is caused to transmit the information to the one or more terminal devices via at least one of the following: a radio resource control signaling, a system information block, or a long term evolution positioning protocol.

13. The network element of claim 9, wherein the network element is caused to: receive, from the one or more terminal devices or another network element, respective numerical counts of one or more PRS components to be used at the one or more terminal devices; and determine, based on the corresponding priorities and the respective numbers, at least one PRS components to be disabled.

14. The network element of claim 10, wherein each respective number indicates a number for one or more PRS components which are to be actively used by each of the one or more terminal devices.

15. The network element of claim 9, wherein the network element is caused to determine the at least one PRS components to be disabled based on information of one or more disabled PRS components determined by another network element.

16. The network element of any of claims 9, wherein the network element is caused to: transmit, to another network element, information of one or more disabled PRS components.

17. The network element of any of claims 9-16, wherein the network element comprises one of: a base station and a Location Management Function.

18. The second device of any of claims 11, 13, 15 and 16, wherein the another network element comprises a Location Management Function if the network element comprises a base station, and wherein the another network element comprises a base station if the network element comprises a Location Management Function.

19. A method comprising: receiving by a terminal device, from a network element, information indicative of a plurality of Positioning Reference Signal, PRS, components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; and reporting by the terminal device, to the network element, a numerical count of one or more PRS components, selected from the plurality of PRS components, to be used at the terminal device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of PRS components are overlapped, partially overlapped or non-overlapped in a frequency domain.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, further comprising: receiving, from the network element, information via at least one of the following: a radio resource control signaling, a system information block, or a long term evolution positioning protocol.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the numerical count of the one or more selected PRS components is dependent at least on the corresponding priorities.

23. The method of claim 19 or 22, wherein the numerical count of the one or more selected PRS components is based on at least one of the following: device capability, device positioning accuracy requirement, quality of received signals, device traveling speed; and the numerical count of the one or more selected PRS components having higher priorities than the remaining unselected PRS components of the plurality of PRS components.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the remaining unselected PRS components are muted for the terminal device.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the terminal device is caused to report, to the network element, the numerical count of the one or more selected PRS components via at least one of the following: the radio resource control signaling, or the long term evolution positioning protocol.

26. The method of any of claims 19-25, wherein the network element comprises one of: a base station and a Location Management Function.

27. A method comprising: transmitting by a network element, to one or more terminal devices, information indicative of a plurality of Positioning Reference Signal, PRS, components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; and determining by the network element, at least one PRS components in the plurality of PRS components to be disabled.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the plurality of PRS components are overlapped, partially overlapped or non-overlapped in a frequency domain.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising: determining the priorities at the network element; or based on a configuration of the priorities received from another network element.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein transmitting the information comprises: transmitting the information to the one or more terminal devices via at least one of the following: a radio resource control signaling, a system information block, or a long term evolution positioning protocol.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein determining the at least one PRS components to be disabled comprises: receiving, from the one or more terminal devices or another network element, respective numerical counts of one or more PRS components to be used at the one or more terminal device; and determining, based on the priorities and the respective numbers, at least one PRS components to be disabled.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein each respective number indicates a numerical count one or more PRS components which are to be actively used by each of the one or more terminal devices.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein determining the at least one PRS components to be disabled comprises: determining the at least one PRS components to be disabled based on information of one or more disabled PRS components determined by another network element.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising: transmitting, to another network element, information of one or more disabled PRS components.

35. The method of any of claims 27-34, wherein the network element comprises one of: a base station and a Location Management Function.

36. The method of any of claims 29, 31, 33 and 34, wherein the another network element comprises a Location Management Function if the network element comprises a base station, and wherein the another network element comprises a base station if the network element comprises a Location Management Function.

37. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from a network element, information indicative of a plurality of Positioning Reference Signal, PRS, components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; and means for reporting, to the network element, a numerical count of one or more PRS components, selected from the plurality of PRS components, to be used at the terminal device.

38. An apparatus comprising: means for transmitting, to one or more terminal devices, information indicative of a plurality of Positioning Reference Signal, PRS, components within a bandwidth area and corresponding priorities of the plurality of PRS components, wherein the plurality of PRS components associate with respective subparts of the bandwidth area; means for determining at least one PRS components in the plurality of PRS components to be disabled.

39. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of any of claims 19-26.

40. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of any of claims 27-36.