IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,526,604
Granted Patent B2
US 12,526,604 · App. 17/821,256 · Granted Jan 13, 2026

Positioning capabilities of reduced capability new radio devices

Inventors: Seyed Ali Akbar Fakoorian (San Diego, CA); Dawei Zhang (Saratoga, CA); Hong He (San Jose, CA); Huaning Niu (San Jose, CA); Jie Cui (San Jose, CA); Kirk Burroughs (Alamo, CA); Wei Zeng (Saratoga, CA); Zhibin Wu (Los Altos, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
H04W4/029H04L5/0048H04W8/22
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,526,604
App. No.
17/821,256
Granted
Jan 13, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A reduced capability (redcap) user equipment (UE) is configured to receive a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration from a network component and perform one or more positioning operations based at least in part on the PRS configuration. A base station is configured to receive, from a location management function (LMF) of a network, a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a reduced capability user equipment (redcap UE) and transmit PRS to the redcap UE based on the PRS configuration.

Claims (28)

1 . A processor of a reduced capability (redcap) user equipment (UE) configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a network, a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration comprising resources for PRS;

receiving a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle configuration from the network, wherein the PRS are configured to align with an On Duration of the DRX cycle; and

performing one or more positioning operations based at least in part on the PRS configuration.

2 . The processor of claim 1 , wherein the PRS configuration indicates the redcap UE is to perform the positioning operations in a measurement gap and wherein a configured bandwidth of the PRS is greater than an indicated bandwidth capability of the redcap UE.

3 . The processor of claim 2 , wherein the positioning operations comprise the redcap UE omitting measurement of the PRS.

4 . The processor of claim 2 , wherein the positioning operations comprise measuring a portion of the PRS that are within the indicated bandwidth capability of the redcap UE.

5 . The processor of claim 1 , wherein the PRS configuration indicates the redcap UE is to perform the positioning operations within a current active bandwidth part (BWP) of the redcap UE and a configured bandwidth of the PRS is greater than the current active BWP of the redcap UE.

6 . The processor of claim 5 , wherein the positioning operations comprise omitting measurement of the PRS.

7 . The processor of claim 5 , wherein the positioning operations comprise measuring a portion of the PRS that are within the active BWP of the redcap UE.

8 . The processor of claim 1 , wherein the positioning operations comprise transmitting a measurement report for the PRS on a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), wherein the PUSCH selected for transmitting the measurement report is based on a time between a last symbol of the PRS reception and a first symbol of the PUSCH, wherein the time is based on a processing capability of the redcap UE.

9 . The processor of claim 8 , wherein the measurement report is not multiplexed with any uplink control information (UCI) on the PUSCH.

10 . The processor of claim 8 , wherein the measurement report is multiplexed with one or more of a high priority Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) or a high priority scheduling request (SR).

11 . The processor of claim 1 , wherein the PRS configuration indicates the redcap UE is to perform the positioning operations within a current active bandwidth part (BWP) of the redcap UE.

12 . The processor of claim 11 , wherein the redcap UE is configured to operate in a half-duplex frequency division duplexing (HD-FDD) mode, the positioning operations comprise omitting transmission of configured uplink (UL) transmissions and reception of configured downlink (DL) receptions within a PRS buffering window and a PRS processing window.

13 . The processor of claim 11 , wherein the redcap UE is configured to operate in a half-duplex frequency division duplexing (HD-FDD) mode, the positioning operations comprise omitting transmission of dynamically indicated UL transmissions and reception of dynamically indicated DL receptions within a PRS buffering window and a PRS processing window.

14 . The processor of claim 13 , wherein the positioning operations further comprise omitting measurement of the PRS.

15 . The processor of claim 11 , wherein the redcap UE is further configured to transmit a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission that collides with reception of the PRS, the positioning operations comprise omitting reception of the PRS.

16 . The processor of claim 11 , wherein the redcap UE is further configured to transmit a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission that collides with reception of the PRS, the positioning operations comprise dropping the PRACH transmission.

17 . A processor of a base station configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a location management function (LMF) of a network, a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration comprising resources for PRS for a reduced capability user equipment (redcap UE);

configuring a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle for the redcap UE, wherein the DRX cycle is based on the PRS configuration received from the LMF and wherein the PRS are configured to align with an On Duration of the DRX cycle; and

transmitting PRS to the redcap UE based on the PRS configuration.

18 . A location management function of a network configured to perform operations comprising:

determining a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a reduced capability user equipment (redcap UE) communicating with the network;

transmitting the PRS configuration to the redcap UE;

receiving, from a base station serving the redcap UE, a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle configuration for the redcap UE; and

transmitting the DRX cycle configuration of the redcap UE to one or more neighboring base stations to the serving base station, wherein the one or more neighboring base stations align a PRS configuration for the redcap UE based on the DRX cycle configuration.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 22, 2022
From: FAKOORIAN, SEYED ALI AKBAR; NIU, HUANING; ZENG, WEI; BURROUGHS, KIRK; CUI, JIE; WU, ZHIBIN; ZHANG, DAWEI; HE, HONG
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 060857/0682 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63260863 · Sep 2, 2021
Related Publication 20230063450A1 · Mar 2, 2023
References Cited (12)
US 10327109B1 · Maheshwari et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20170238298A1 · Wang et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20210037573A1 · Ly · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20210058890A1 · Akkarakaran et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20210088623A1 · Yerramalli · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20220061098A1 · Choi · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20230049735A1 · Lin · 2023 [cited by examiner]
CN 108702275 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
CN 112601970 · 2021 [cited by applicant]
Moderator (Intel Corporation), “Feature Lead Summary#3 for E-mail Discussion [106-e-NR-ePos-06]”, 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 #106e, R1-2108294, Aug. 27, 2021, 69 sheets. [cited by applicant]
Qualcomm Incorporated, “Type-A HD-FDD for RedCap Ue”, 3GPP TSG-RAN WG1 Meeting #105, R1-2104679, May 12, 2021, 11 sheets. [cited by applicant]
Huawei, HiSilicon, “Positioning enhancement in Rel-17”, 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 Meeting #103-e, R1-2007577, Nov. 13, 2020, 17 sheets. [cited by applicant]