Systems and methods for PRS muting in a fifth generation wireless network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10779126-B2
Application number	US-201916429439-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2019
Priority date	Jul 13, 2018
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

Methods and techniques are described for supporting location services for a user equipment (UE) in a Fifth Generation wireless network in which a base station, such as a gNB or ng-eNB, broadcasts a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) in a plurality of different directions and at a plurality of different times. A PRS muting configuration is used in which PRS is muted using a time based and angle based pattern to prevent interference between beams transmitted by other base stations and/or to prevent interference between beams transmitted simultaneously by a single base station. The time based and angle based muting pattern, for example, may provide an indication for each direction in the plurality of different directions and for each time in the plurality of different times and as to whether the PRS is transmitted or muted by the base station.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for supporting location services for a user equipment (UE) performed by the UE comprising:
receiving assistance data from a location server based on configuration parameters for a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) transmitted by a base station, the configuration parameters comprising a muting configuration, the muting configuration comprising a time based and angle based muting pattern;
generating location measurements comprising at least one location measurement for the PRS, wherein the at least one location measurement is based on the muting configuration; and
sending location information to the location server for location determination of the UE, wherein the location information is based on the at least one location measurement.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the assistance data from the location server comprises receiving the assistance data as part of a message from the location server.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the assistance data from the location server comprises receiving a broadcast of the assistance data from the base station, wherein the base station receives the assistance data from the location server.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a location for the UE based at least in part on the at least one location measurement, wherein the location information comprises the location.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location information comprises the at least one location measurement.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base station is a New Radio (NR) NodeB (gNB) or a Next Generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB) in a Fifth Generation (5G) wireless network and the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF).

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the PRS is transmitted by the base station in a plurality of different directions and at a plurality of different times.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the PRS is transmitted in different directions in the plurality of different directions at the same times in the plurality of different times.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the PRS is transmitted in different directions in the plurality of different directions at different times in the plurality of different times.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the time based and angle based muting pattern comprises an indication, for each direction in the plurality of different directions and for each time in the plurality of different times, as to whether the PRS is transmitted or muted by the base station.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the location measurements comprising the at least one location measurement for the PRS comprises:
determining an angular position with respect to the base station; and
using the angular position along with the angle based muting pattern for the base station to generate the at least one location measurement.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one location measurement for the PRS is determined without knowledge of an angular position with respect to the base station.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the time based and angle based muting pattern comprises a time based muting pattern comprising a plurality of beam sweeps, wherein each beam sweep has an angular based muting pattern indicating an angular range at which the PRS signal is muted, and wherein the plurality of beam sweeps use one or more angular based muting patterns.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the time based muting pattern and one or more angular based muting patterns are configured so that a directional beam produced by the base station mutes the PRS signals at a first angular range at which the directional beam intersects a second directional beam with a non-muted PRS signal from a second base station during a first beam sweep and does not mute the PRS signal at the first angular range at which the directional beam intersects the second directional beam with a muted PRS signal from the second base station during a second beam sweep.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base station transmits multiple beams simultaneously, each beam being transmitted in a different angular range, wherein the time based and angle based muting pattern comprises independently scheduled time based muting patterns for beams being transmitted in the different angular range.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the independently scheduled time based muting patterns for the beams being transmitted in the different angular range are configured to reduce interference between the PRS signals from separate beams being transmitted simultaneously by the base station.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the independently scheduled time based muting pattern for each beam is configured to reduce any interference from PRS signals from beams transmitted by other base stations.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the time based and angle based muting pattern is defined by a two-dimensional muting pattern across time and angular direction.

19. A user equipment (UE) capable of supporting location services for the UE, the UE comprising:
at least one wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one wireless network;
at least one memory; and
at least one processor coupled to the at least one wireless transceiver and the at least one memory and configured to:
receive via the wireless transceiver assistance data from a location server based on a configuration parameters for a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) transmitted by a base station, the configuration parameters comprising a muting configuration, the muting configuration comprising a time based and angle based muting pattern;
generate location measurements comprising at least one location measurement for the PRS, wherein the at least one location measurement is based on the muting configuration; and
send via the at least one wireless transceiver location information to the location server for location determination of the UE, wherein the location information is based on the at least one location measurement.

20. The UE of claim 19 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive the assistance data from the location server as part of a message from the location server.

21. The UE of claim 19 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive the assistance data from the location server as a broadcast of the assistance data from the base station, wherein the base station receives the assistance data from the location server.

22. The UE of claim 19 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a location for the UE based at least in part on the at least one location measurement, wherein the location information comprises the location.

23. The UE of claim 19 , wherein the location information comprises the at least one location measurement.

24. The UE of claim 19 , wherein the base station is a New Radio (NR) NodeB (gNB) or a Next Generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB) in a Fifth Generation (5G) wireless network and the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF).

25. The UE of claim 19 , wherein the PRS is transmitted by the base station in a plurality of different directions and at a plurality of different times.

26. The UE of claim 25 , wherein the PRS is transmitted in different directions in the plurality of different directions at the same times in the plurality

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Kumar Akash
• Edge Stephen William

Classifications

• H04W72/541

  using the level of interference · CPC title

• H04W72/51

  based on terminal or device properties · CPC title

• H04W4/029 Primary

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• H04L5/0051

  of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal · CPC title

• H04L5/0073

  Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences · CPC title