A Network Node and a Method Therein; a Positioning Node and a Method Therein; a User Equipment and a Method Therein, for Handling Transmission of a Reference Signal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016248563-A1
Application number	US-201315027851-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 6, 2013
Priority date	Oct 11, 2013
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present embodiments relate to a network node ( 90 ), a method thereof; a positioning node ( 100 ), a method thereof; a UE ( 110 ) and a method thereof, for handling transmission of a reference signal and/or a reference signal configuration. The method in the network node ( 90 ) comprises: determining a transmission configuration for use in a cell served by the network node; if at least one subframe containing said reference signal is also configured as a flexible subframe, comparing at least one parameter related to the transmission configuration with a threshold, and deciding based on the result of said comparison whether to operate the at least one subframe as a flexible subframe or as a downlink subframe.

First claim

1 - 32 . (canceled)

33 . A method performed by a network node of handling transmission of a positioning reference signal (PRS) in a network comprising a user equipment and a positioning node, the method comprising:
determining a PRS transmission configuration for use in a cell served by the network node; when at least one subframe containing said PRS is also configured as a flexible subframe,
comparing at least one parameter related to the PRS transmission configuration with a threshold, and
deciding based on the result of said comparison whether to operate the at least one subframe as a flexible subframe or only as a downlink subframe containing PRS transmission.

34 . The method according to claim 33 , wherein said comparing comprises, if the at least one parameter related to the PRS transmission configuration is above said threshold, operating the at least one subframe as a PRS subframe, and otherwise operating the at least one subframe as a flexible subframe.

35 . The method according to claim 33 , wherein said comparing comprises, if the at least one parameter related to the PRS transmission configuration is below said threshold, operating the at least one subframe as a PRS subframe, and otherwise operating the at least one subframe as a flexible subframe.

36 . The method according to claim 33 , further comprising, if PRS muting is applied in that one or more PRS occasions are muted over a certain time period, operating the at least one subframe as a PRS subframe, and otherwise operating the at least one subframe as a flexible subframe.

37 . The method according to claim 36 , further comprising operating the at least one subframe as a PRS subframe if the number of PRS muting occasions is above said threshold, and otherwise operating the at least one subframe as a flexible subframe.

38 . The method according to claim 33 , further comprising adjusting said one or more parameter related to PRS transmission configuration.

39 . The method according to claim 33 , wherein said one or more parameters comprise: a PRS periodicity; a number of PRS subframes; a number of PRS occasions; a PRS bandwidth; a transmit power of a PRS and a PRS muting configuration.

40 . The method according to claim 33 , further comprising, informing the user equipment or another network of said decision, for enabling said user equipment or said other network node to align its PRS configuration with said PRS transmission configuration.

41 . A method performed by a positioning node configured to transmit to a user equipment (UE) information about a positioning reference signal (PRS) transmission configuration in a network comprising said UE and the positioning node and one or more network nodes, the method comprising:
obtaining from the UE a PRS transmission configuration; obtaining from said one or more network nodes information about one or more flexible subframes used in the network; when at least one subframe containing PRS is also configured as a flexible subframe based on said PRS transmission configuration, then
comparing at least one parameter related to the PRS transmission configuration with a threshold;
deciding based on the result of said comparison whether to include the at least one subframe configured as a flexible subframe as well as a PRS subframe in the PRS transmission configuration; and
transmitting a PRS configuration information to the UE.

42 . The method according to claim 41 , wherein the information about said one or more flexible subframes comprises an indication that certain subframes may be used as flexible subframes in certain cells or on all cells on a certain Time Division Duplex carrier.

43 . The method according to claim 41 , further comprising, including the PRS transmission configuration of cells which are configured to transmit PRS subframes per PRS occasion above said threshold.

44 . The method according to claim 41 , wherein said one or more parameters comprise: a PRS periodicity; a number of PRS subframes; a number of PRS occasions; a PRS bandwidth; a transmit power of a PRS and a PRS muting configuration.

45 . A method performed by a user equipment (UE) for performing positioning measurements on a positioning reference signal (PRS) transmitted by a plurality of network nodes operating on a Time Division Duplex (TDD) carrier in a network comprising at least one network node and a positioning node, the method comprising:
obtaining from said positioning node a PRS transmission configuration; obtaining from said at least one network node information about at least one flexible subframe; when at least one subframe containing PRS is also configured as a flexible subframe based on said PRS transmission configuration, then
comparing at least one parameter related to the PRS transmission configuration with a threshold;
determining based on the result of the comparison whether to treat the at least one subframe as a flexible subframe or as a downlink subframe containing a PRS transmission; and
performing positioning measurements based on said determination.

46 . The method according to claim 45 , comprising obtaining Observed Time Difference Of Arrival (OTDOA) assistance information from the positioning node, which assistance information contains said PRS configuration to be used by the UE for performing the positioning measurements on said one or more cells on one or more TDD carrier.

47 . The method according to claim 45 , comprising using the performed positioning measurements for determining location of the UE and/or sending the positioning measurement results to the positioning node for enabling the positioning node to determine the location of the UE.

48 . The method according to claim 45 , wherein said one or more parameters comprise: a PRS periodicity; a number of PRS subframes; a number of PRS occasions; a PRS bandwidth; a transmit power of a PRS and a PRS muting configuration.

49 . A network node of handling transmission of a positioning reference signal (PRS) in a network comprising a user equipment and a positioning node, the network node comprising:
a processing circuit configure to determine a PRS transmission configuration for use in a cell served by the network node; the processing circuit being further configured to, when at least one subframe containing said PRS is also configured as a flexible subframe,
compare at least one parameter related to the PRS transmission configuration with a threshold, and
decide based on the result of said comparison whether to operate the at least one subframe as a flexible subframe or as a downlink subframe.

50 . The network node according to claim 49 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to, if the at least one parameter related to the PRS transmission configuration is above said threshold, operate the at least one subframe as a PRS subframe, and otherwise operate the at least one subframe as a flexible subframe.

51 . The network node according to claim 49 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to, if the at least one parameter related to the PRS transmission configuration is below said threshold, operate the at least one subframe as a PRS subframe, and otherwise operate the at least one subframe as a flexible subframe.

52 . The network node according to claim 49 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to, if PRS muting is applied in that one or more PRS occasions are muted over a certain time period, operate the at least one subframe as a PRS subframe, and otherwise operate the at

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Behravan Ali
• Eriksson Erik
• Kazmi Muhammad

Classifications

• H04W72/542

  using measured or perceived quality · CPC title

• H04W72/085

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L5/14

  Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex · CPC title

• H04L5/0048 Primary

  Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver (allocation of control signalling H04L5/0053; use of control signalling H04L5/0091) · CPC title

• H04L5/0087 Primary

  when data requirements change · CPC title