Granted Patent B2

US 12,580,797 · App. 17/428,833 · Granted Mar 17, 2026

Inventors: Alexey Khoryaev (Nizhny Novgorod, RU); Sergey Sosnin (Zavolzhie, RU); Mikhail Shilov (Nizhny Novgorod, RU); Sergey Panteleev (Nizhny Novgorod, RU); Seunghee Han (San Jose, CA)

Assignee: Apple Inc.

H04L27/261H04L5/0048

Abstract

Claims (52)

1 . An apparatus for a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

processor circuitry configured to:

configure a bandwidth part (BWP) for downlink (DL) positioning reference signals (PRS) and a BWP for DL data transmission, wherein the BWP for DL PRS provides DL PRS to a user equipment (UE) for a UE-based positioning operation;

determine a DL PRS resource is being used for a DL data transmission; and

select an action to be performed by the UE in response to receiving the BWP for DL PRS and the BWP for DL data transmission, wherein the selected action is based on whether the BWP for DL PRS fully or partially overlaps with the BWP for DL data transmission; and

radio front end circuitry, coupled to the processor circuitry, configured to:

transmit, to the UE, the BWP for DL PRS, the BWP for DL data transmission, and the selected action; and

in response to determining the DL PRS resource is being used for the DL data transmission, transmit to the UE, an indication of a collision between the DL PRS resource and the DL data transmission.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication system is a 5G new radio (5G-NR) system, a 5G system, or a 6G system.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to:

select a subcarrier spacing (SCS), a physical resource block (PRB) level granularity, or a value of numerology for the BWP for DL PRS that is different from that of the BWP for DL data transmission.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the BWP for DL PRS fully or partially overlaps with the BWP for DL data transmission, and the selected action is one of the UE processing PRS at an intersection bandwidth of the BWP for DL PRS and the BWP for DL data transmission, or the UE adjusting receiver processing BW to accommodate the BWP for DL PRS.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to:

determine synchronization accuracy information that comprises a measure of synchronization error associated with a timing error, a level of timing misalignment, a synchronization error, or a grade of timing uncertainty between the apparatus and another apparatus via which the BWP for DL PRS is transmitted to the UE, and

wherein the radio front end circuitry is further configured to:

transmit, to the UE, the determined synchronization accuracy information.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the selected action instructs the UE to process the DL PRS according to the BWP for DL PRS or the BWP for DL data transmission,

wherein the DL PRS used to perform the UE-based positioning operation is within one of the BWP for DL PRS or the BWP for DL data transmission.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to:

discard a positioning measurement received from the UE for the DL PRS resource being used for the DL data transmission.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to mute a DL PRS transmission using the DL PRS resource.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to: transmit to a location server a second indication to exclude a set of measurements for the DL PRS resource.

10 . A method comprising:

configuring, by an access point (AP) for a wireless communication system, a bandwidth part (BWP) for downlink (DL) positioning reference signals (PRS) and a BWP for DL data transmission, wherein the BWP for DL PRS provides DL PRS to a user equipment (UE) for a UE-based positioning operation;

determining a DL PRS resource is being used for a DL data transmission;

selecting, by the AP, an action to be performed by the UE in response to receiving the BWP for DL PRS and the BWP for DL data transmission, wherein the action is based on whether the BWP for DL PRS fully or partially overlaps with the BWP for DL data transmission;

transmitting, from the AP to the UE, the BWP for DL PRS, the BWP for DL data transmission, and the selected action; and

in response to determining the DL PRS resource is being used for the DL data transmission, transmitting from the AP to the UE, an indication of a collision between the DL PRS resource and the DL data transmission.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the wireless communication system is a 5G new radio (5G-NR) system, a 5G system, or a 6G system.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising selecting, by the AP, a subcarrier spacing (SCS), a physical resource block (PRB) level granularity, or a value of numerology to configure the BWP for DL PRS that is from that of different from the BWP for DL data transmission.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the BWP for DL PRS either fully or partially overlaps with the BWP for DL data transmission, and the selected action is one of the UE processing PRS at an intersection bandwidth of the BWP for DL PRS and the BWP for DL data transmission, or the UE adjusting receiver processing BW to accommodate the BWP for DL PRS.

14 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

determining, by the AP, synchronization accuracy information that comprises a measure of synchronization error associated with a timing error, a level of timing misalignment, a synchronization error, or a grade of timing uncertainty between the AP and another AP via which the BWP for DL PRS is transmitted to the UE; and

transmitting, from the AP to the UE, the determined synchronization accuracy information.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the selected action instructs the UE to process the DL PRS according to the BWP for DL PRS or the BWP for DL data transmission,

wherein the DL PRS used to perform the UE-based positioning operation is within one of the BWP for DL PRS or the BWP for DL data transmission.

16 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

discarding, by the AP, a positioning measurement received from the UE for the DL PRS resource being used for the DL data transmission.

17 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising muting, by the AP, a DL PRS transmission using the DL PRS resource.

18 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising transmitting from the AP to a location server an indication to exclude a set of measurements for the DL PRS resource.

19 . A user equipment (UE) comprising:

radio front end circuitry configured to:

receive a bandwidth part (BWP) for downlink (DL) positioning reference signals (PRS) and a BWP for DL data transmission, and an action to be performed by the UE in response to receiving the BWP for DL PRS and the BWP for DL data transmission; and

receive an indication of a collision between a DL PRS resource and a DL data transmission;

processor circuitry, coupled to the radio front end circuitry, configured to:

based on the action, determine an adjustment of a receiver bandwidth of the radio front end circuitry to process the DL PRS,

wherein the action depends on whether the BWP for DL PRS fully or partially overlaps with the BWP for DL data transmission; and

based on the indication, stop a positioning measurement for the DL PRS resource colliding with the DL data transmission.

20 . The UE of claim 19 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to:

use an uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS) as a reference signal for UL PRS,

wherein the UL SRS supports reduced occupied subcarrier density, and extended number of supported symbols, or utilization of time or frequency domain code division multiplexing, and

wherein either comb-6 or comb-12 is used to support the reduced occupied subcarrier density.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (35)