Patent Description:
Wireless communication systems have developed through various generations, including a first-generation analog wireless phone service (<NUM>), a second-generation (<NUM>) digital wireless phone service (including interim <NUM> networks), a third-generation (<NUM>) high speed data, Internet-capable wireless service and a fourth-generation (<NUM>) service (e.g., LTE or WiMax). There are presently many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including cellular and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog advanced mobile phone system (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), the Global System for Mobile access (GSM) variation of TDMA, etc..

A fifth generation (<NUM>) wireless standard, referred to as New Radio (NR), enables higher data transfer speeds, greater numbers of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. The <NUM> standard, according to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, is designed to provide data rates of several tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users, with <NUM> gigabit per second to tens of workers on an office floor. Several hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported in order to support large wireless sensor deployments. Consequently, the spectral efficiency of <NUM> mobile communications should be significantly enhanced compared to the current <NUM> standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiencies should be enhanced and latency should be substantially reduced compared to current standards. <CIT> describes a communication system including multiple mobile station apparatuses and at least one base station apparatus, the base station apparatus controls transmission of an uplink signal to the mobile station apparatuses. A path loss calculator calculates path loss on the basis of a reference signal received by a reception processing unit. A transmit power setter sets desired transmit power of an uplink signal using the path loss calculated by the path loss calculator. Additionally, a power head room controller generates power head room that is information concerning a margin of the transmit power using the desired transmit power set in the transmit power setter to control transmission of the power head room. The power head room controller determines to transmit the power head room upon switching of a kind of the reference signal used in the calculation in the path loss calculator. <CIT> describes a method and apparatus from the perspective of a User Equipment, UE. In one embodiment, the method includes the UE deriving a first pathloss value from a first pathloss reference of a serving cell, wherein the first pathloss value is used for deriving a power headroom value included in a first power headroom report. The method also includes the UE deriving a second pathloss value from a second pathloss reference of the serving cell after deriving the first pathloss value, wherein the second pathloss reference is used for power control for a first Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, transmission on the serving cell. The method further includes the UE deriving the pathloss change based on the first pathloss value and the second pathloss value. In addition, the method includes the UE determining whether a second power headroom report is triggered based on whether the pathloss change is more than a threshold.

The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, any embodiments which do not fall within the scope of the claims are examples that are helpful for understanding the invention, but do not form a part of the invention.

As used herein, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise noted. In general, a UE may be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, tracking device, wearable (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communications network. A UE may be mobile or may (e.g., at certain times) be stationary, and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" may be referred to interchangeably as an "access terminal" or "AT," a "client device," a "wireless device," a "subscriber device," a "subscriber terminal," a "subscriber station," a "user terminal" or UT, a "mobile terminal," a "mobile station," or variations thereof. Generally, UEs can communicate with a core network via a RAN, and through the core network the UEs can be connected with external networks such as the Internet and with other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms of connecting to the core network and/or the Internet are also possible for the UEs, such as over wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on IEEE <NUM>, etc.) and so on.

A base station may operate according to one of several RATs in communication with UEs depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may be alternatively referred to as an access point (AP), a network node, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as a gNB or gNodeB), etc. In addition, in some systems a base station may provide purely edge node signaling functions while in other systems it may provide additional control and/or network management functions. A communication link through which UEs can send signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link through which the base station can send signals to UEs is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to either an UL / reverse or DL / forward traffic channel.

The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmission-reception point (TRP) or to multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be an array of antennas (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming) of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs may be the serving base station receiving the measurement report from the UE and a neighbor base station whose reference RF signals the UE is measuring. Because a TRP is the point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmission from or reception at a base station are to be understood as referring to a particular TRP of the base station.

An "RF signal" comprises an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transports information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, the receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

According to various aspects, <FIG> illustrates an exemplary wireless communications system <NUM>. The wireless communications system <NUM> (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations <NUM> and various UEs <NUM>. The base stations <NUM> may include macro cell base stations (high power cellular base stations) and/or small cell base stations (low power cellular base stations). In an aspect, the macro cell base station may include eNBs where the wireless communications system <NUM> corresponds to an LTE network, or gNBs where the wireless communications system <NUM> corresponds to a NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc..

The base stations <NUM> may collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network <NUM> (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or next generation core (NGC)) through backhaul links <NUM>, and through the core network <NUM> to one or more location servers <NUM>. In addition to other functions, the base stations <NUM> may perform functions that relate to one or more of transferring user data, radio channel ciphering and deciphering, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment trace, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations <NUM> may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC / NGC) over backhaul links <NUM>, which may be wired or wireless.

In an aspect, one or more cells may be supported by a base station <NUM> in each coverage area <NUM>. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., over some frequency resource, referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, band, or the like), and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI)) for distinguishing cells operating via the same or a different carrier frequency. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine-type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access for different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" may refer to either or both the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to a geographic coverage area of a base station (e.g., a sector), insofar as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within some portion of geographic coverage areas <NUM>.

While neighboring macro cell base station <NUM> geographic coverage areas <NUM> may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover region), some of the geographic coverage areas <NUM> may be substantially overlapped by a larger geographic coverage area <NUM>. For example, a small cell base station <NUM>' may have a coverage area <NUM>' that substantially overlaps with the coverage area <NUM> of one or more macro cell base stations <NUM>. A network that includes both small cell and macro cell base stations may be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include home eNBs (HeNBs), which may provide service to a restricted group known as a closed subscriber group (CSG).

The communication links <NUM> between the base stations <NUM> and the UEs <NUM> may include UL (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from a UE <NUM> to a base station <NUM> and/or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from a base station <NUM> to a UE <NUM>. The communication links <NUM> may use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and/or transmit diversity. The communication links <NUM> may be through one or more carrier frequencies. Allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or less carriers may be allocated for DL than for UL).

Receive beams may be spatially related. A spatial relation means that parameters for a transmit beam for a second reference signal can be derived from information about a receive beam for a first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a particular receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for sending an uplink reference signal (e.g., sounding reference signal (SRS)) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

In <NUM>, the frequency spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations <NUM>/<NUM>, UEs <NUM>/<NUM>) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges, FR1 (from <NUM> to <NUM>), FR2 (from <NUM> to <NUM>), FR3 (above <NUM>), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In a multi-carrier system, such as <NUM>, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell," and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells. " In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by a UE <NUM>/<NUM> and the cell in which the UE <NUM>/<NUM> either performs the initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates the RRC connection reestablishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels, and may be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). A secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that may be configured once the RRC connection is established between the UE <NUM> and the anchor carrier and that may be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals, for example, those that are UE-specific may not be present in the secondary carrier, since both primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs <NUM>/<NUM> in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carriers. The network is able to change the primary carrier of any UE <NUM>/<NUM> at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Because a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier over which some base station is communicating, the term "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," "carrier frequency," and the like can be used interchangeably.

The wireless communications system <NUM> may further include one or more UEs, such as UE <NUM>, that connects indirectly to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. In the example of <FIG>, UE <NUM> has a D2D P2P link <NUM> with one of the UEs <NUM> connected to one of the base stations <NUM> (e.g., through which UE <NUM> may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link <NUM> with WLAN STA <NUM> connected to the WLAN AP <NUM> (through which UE <NUM> may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In an example, the D2D P2P links <NUM> and <NUM> may be supported with any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, and so on.

The wireless communications system <NUM> may further include a UE <NUM> that may communicate with a macro cell base station <NUM> over a communication link <NUM> and/or the mmW base station <NUM> over a mmW communication link <NUM>. For example, the macro cell base station <NUM> may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE <NUM> and the mmW base station <NUM> may support one or more SCells for the UE <NUM>.

According to various aspects, <FIG> illustrates an example wireless network structure <NUM>. For example, an NGC <NUM> (also referred to as a "5GC") can be viewed functionally as control plane functions <NUM> (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane functions <NUM>, (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.) which operate cooperatively to form the core network. User plane interface (NG-U) <NUM> and control plane interface (NG-C) <NUM> connect the gNB <NUM> to the NGC <NUM> and specifically to the control plane functions <NUM> and user plane functions <NUM>. In an additional configuration, an eNB <NUM> may also be connected to the NGC <NUM> via NG-C <NUM> to the control plane functions <NUM> and NG-U <NUM> to user plane functions <NUM>. Further, eNB <NUM> may directly communicate with gNB <NUM> via a backhaul connection <NUM>. In some configurations, the New RAN <NUM> may only have one or more gNBs <NUM>, while other configurations include one or more of both eNBs <NUM> and gNBs <NUM>. Either gNB <NUM> or eNB <NUM> may communicate with UEs <NUM> (e.g., any of the UEs depicted in <FIG>). Another optional aspect may include location server <NUM>, which may be in communication with the NGC <NUM> to provide location assistance for UEs <NUM>. The location server <NUM> can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately may each correspond to a single server. The location server <NUM> can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs <NUM> that can connect to the location server <NUM> via the core network, NGC <NUM>, and/or via the Internet (not illustrated). Further, the location server <NUM> may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively may be external to the core network.

According to various aspects, <FIG> illustrates another example wireless network structure <NUM>. For example, an NGC <NUM> (also referred to as a "5GC") can be viewed functionally as control plane functions, provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) / user plane function (UPF) <NUM>, and user plane functions, provided by a session management function (SMF) <NUM>, which operate cooperatively to form the core network (i.e., NGC <NUM>). User plane interface <NUM> and control plane interface <NUM> connect the eNB <NUM> to the NGC <NUM> and specifically to SMF <NUM> and AMF/UPF <NUM>, respectively. In an additional configuration, a gNB <NUM> may also be connected to the NGC <NUM> via control plane interface <NUM> to AMF/UPF <NUM> and user plane interface <NUM> to SMF <NUM>. Further, eNB <NUM> may directly communicate with gNB <NUM> via the backhaul connection <NUM>, with or without gNB direct connectivity to the NGC <NUM>. In some configurations, the New RAN <NUM> may only have one or more gNBs <NUM>, while other configurations include one or more of both eNBs <NUM> and gNBs <NUM>. Either gNB <NUM> or eNB <NUM> may communicate with UEs <NUM> (e.g., any of the UEs depicted in <FIG>). The base stations of the New RAN <NUM> communicate with the AMF-side of the AMF/UPF <NUM> over the N2 interface and the UPF-side of the AMF/UPF <NUM> over the N3 interface.

The functions of the AMF include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transport for session management (SM) messages between the UE <NUM> and the SMF <NUM>, transparent proxy services for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between the UE <NUM> and the short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF also interacts with the authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE <NUM>, and receives the intermediate key that was established as a result of the UE <NUM> authentication process. In the case of authentication based on a UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system) subscriber identity module (USIM), the AMF retrieves the security material from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF that it uses to derive access-network specific keys. The functionality of the AMF also includes location services management for regulatory services, transport for location services messages between the UE <NUM> and the location management function (LMF) <NUM>, as well as between the New RAN <NUM> and the LMF <NUM>, evolved packet system (EPS) bearer identifier allocation for interworking with the EPS, and UE <NUM> mobility event notification. In addition, the AMF also supports functionalities for non-3GPP access networks.

Functions of the UPF include acting as an anchor point for intra-/inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point of interconnect to the data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for the user plane (e.g., UL/DL rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the DL), UL traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in the UL and DL, DL packet buffering and DL data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding of one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node.

The functions of the SMF <NUM> include session management, UE Internet protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering at the UPF to route traffic to the proper destination, control of part of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface over which the SMF <NUM> communicates with the AMF-side of the AMF/UPF <NUM> is referred to as the N11 interface.

Another optional aspect may include a LMF <NUM>, which may be in communication with the NGC <NUM> to provide location assistance for UEs <NUM>. The LMF <NUM> can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately may each correspond to a single server. The LMF <NUM> can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs <NUM> that can connect to the LMF <NUM> via the core network, NGC <NUM>, and/or via the Internet (not illustrated).

<FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG> illustrate several sample components (represented by corresponding blocks) that may be incorporated into a UE <NUM> (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station <NUM> (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity <NUM> (which may correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including the location server <NUM> and the LMF <NUM>) to support the file transmission operations as taught herein. It will be appreciated that these components may be implemented in different types of apparatuses in different implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other apparatuses in a communication system. For example, other apparatuses in a system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Also, a given apparatus may contain one or more of the components. For example, an apparatus may include multiple transceiver components that enable the apparatus to operate on multiple carriers and/or communicate via different technologies.

The UE <NUM> and the base station <NUM> each include wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, configured to communicate via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown), such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, and/or the like. The WWAN transceivers <NUM> and <NUM> may be connected to one or more antennas <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., some set of time/frequency resources in a particular frequency spectrum). The WWAN transceivers <NUM> and <NUM> may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., messages, indications, information, and so on), respectively, and, conversely, for receiving and decoding signals <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, and so on), respectively, in accordance with the designated RAT. Specifically, the transceivers <NUM> and <NUM> include one or more transmitters <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, and one or more receivers <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively.

The UE <NUM> and the base station <NUM> also include, at least in some cases, wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively. The WLAN transceivers <NUM> and <NUM> may be connected to one or more antennas <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth®, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest. The WLAN transceivers <NUM> and <NUM> may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., messages, indications, information, and so on), respectively, and, conversely, for receiving and decoding signals <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, and so on), respectively, in accordance with the designated RAT. Specifically, the transceivers <NUM> and <NUM> include one or more transmitters <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, and one or more receivers <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively.

Transceiver circuitry including a transmitter and a receiver may comprise an integrated device (e.g., embodied as a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit of a single communication device) in some implementations, may comprise a separate transmitter device and a separate receiver device in some implementations, or may be embodied in other ways in other implementations. In an aspect, a transmitter may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>), such as an antenna array, that permits the respective apparatus to perform transmit "beamforming," as described herein. Similarly, a receiver may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>), such as an antenna array, that permits the respective apparatus to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In an aspect, the transmitter and receiver may share the same plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>), such that the respective apparatus can only receive or transmit at a respective time for the respective element, not both at the same time. A wireless communication device (e.g., one or both of the transceivers <NUM> and <NUM> and/or <NUM> and <NUM>) of the apparatuses <NUM> and/or <NUM> may also comprise a network listen module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

The apparatuses <NUM> and <NUM> also include, at least in some cases, satellite positioning systems (SPS) receivers <NUM> and <NUM>. The SPS receivers <NUM> and <NUM> may be connected to one or more antennas <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, for receiving SPS signals <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, such as global positioning system (GPS) signals, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. The SPS receivers <NUM> and <NUM> may comprise any suitable hardware and/or software for receiving and processing SPS signals <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively. The SPS receivers <NUM> and <NUM> request information and operations as appropriate from the other systems, and performs calculations necessary to determine the apparatus' <NUM> and <NUM> positions using measurements obtained by any suitable SPS algorithm.

The base station <NUM> and the network entity <NUM> each include at least one network interfaces <NUM> and <NUM> for communicating with other network entities. For example, the network interfaces <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., one or more network access ports) may be configured to communicate with one or more network entities via a wire-based or wireless backhaul connection. In some aspects, the network interfaces <NUM> and <NUM> may be implemented as transceivers configured to support wire-based or wireless signal communication. This communication may involve, for example, sending and receiving: messages, parameters, or other types of information.

The apparatuses <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> also include other components that may be used in conjunction with the operations as disclosed herein. The UE <NUM> includes processor circuitry implementing a processing system <NUM> for providing functionality relating to, for example, false base station (FBS) detection as disclosed herein and for providing other processing functionality. The base station <NUM> includes a processing system <NUM> for providing functionality relating to, for example, FBS detection as disclosed herein and for providing other processing functionality. The network entity <NUM> includes a processing system <NUM> for providing functionality relating to, for example, FBS detection as disclosed herein and for providing other processing functionality. In an aspect, the processing systems <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may include, for example, one or more general purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry.

The apparatuses <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> include memory circuitry implementing memory components <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> (e.g., each including a memory device), respectively, for maintaining information (e.g., information indicative of reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, and so on). In some cases, the apparatus <NUM> may include power headroom report (PHR) module <NUM>. The PHR module <NUM> may comprise a hardware circuit that is part of or coupled to the processing system <NUM>, that, when executed, cause the apparatus <NUM>, to perform the functionality described herein. In other aspects, the PHR module <NUM> may be external to the processing system <NUM> (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the PHR module <NUM> may be a memory module (as shown in <FIG>) stored in the memory component <NUM>, that, when executed by the processing system <NUM> (e.g., or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the apparatus <NUM> to perform the functionality described herein.

The UE <NUM> may include one or more sensors <NUM> coupled to the processing system <NUM> to provide movement and/or orientation information that is independent of motion data derived from signals received by the WWAN transceiver <NUM>, the WLAN transceiver <NUM>, and/or the SPS receiver <NUM>. By way of example, the sensor(s) <NUM> may include an accelerometer (e.g., a micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric pressure altimeter), and/or any other type of movement detection sensor. Moreover, the sensor(s) <NUM> may include a plurality of different types of devices and combine their outputs in order to provide motion information. For example, the sensor(s) <NUM> may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and orientation sensors to provide the ability to compute positions in 2D and/or 3D coordinate systems.

In addition, the UE <NUM> includes a user interface <NUM> for providing indications (e.g., audible and/or visual indications) to a user and/or for receiving user input (e.g., upon user actuation of a sensing device such a keypad, a touch screen, a microphone, and so on). Although not shown, the apparatuses <NUM> and <NUM> may also include user interfaces.

Referring to the processing system <NUM> in more detail, in the downlink, IP packets from the network entity <NUM> may be provided to the processing system <NUM>. The processing system <NUM> may implement functionality for an RRC layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The processing system <NUM> may provide RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., master information block (MIB), system information blocks (SIBs)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression/decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

The transmitter <NUM> and the receiver <NUM> may implement Layer-<NUM> functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer-<NUM>, which includes a physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding/decoding of the transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation/demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter <NUM> handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). Each stream may then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and/or frequency domain, and then combined together using an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas <NUM>. The transmitter <NUM> may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

At the UE <NUM>, the receiver <NUM> receives a signal through its respective antenna(s) <NUM>. The receiver <NUM> recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system <NUM>. The transmitter <NUM> and the receiver <NUM> implement Layer-<NUM> functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver <NUM> may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE <NUM>. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE <NUM>, they may be combined by the receiver <NUM> into a single OFDM symbol stream. The receiver <NUM> then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time-domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates computed by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and de-interleaved to recover the data and control signals that were originally transmitted by the base station <NUM> on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the processing system <NUM>, which implements Layer-<NUM> and Layer-<NUM> functionality.

In the UL, the processing system <NUM> provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The processing system <NUM> is also responsible for error detection.

Similar to the functionality described in connection with the DL transmission by the base station <NUM>, the processing system <NUM> provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs) acquisition, RRC connections, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression/decompression, and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station <NUM> may be used by the transmitter <NUM> to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter <NUM> may be provided to different antenna(s) <NUM>. The transmitter <NUM> may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

The receiver <NUM> receives a signal through its respective antenna(s) <NUM>. The receiver <NUM> recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system <NUM>.

In the UL, the processing system <NUM> provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE <NUM>. IP packets from the processing system <NUM> may be provided to the core network. The processing system <NUM> is also responsible for error detection.

For convenience, the apparatuses <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM> are shown in <FIG> as including various components that may be configured according to the various examples described herein. It will be appreciated, however, that the illustrated blocks may have different functionality in different designs.

The various components of the apparatuses <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may communicate with each other over data buses <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, respectively. The components of <FIG> may be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, the components of <FIG> may be implemented in one or more circuits such as, for example, one or more processors and/or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and/or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide this functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks <NUM> to <NUM> may be implemented by processor and memory component(s) of the UE <NUM> (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and/or by appropriate configuration of processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks <NUM> to <NUM> may be implemented by processor and memory component(s) of the base station <NUM> (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and/or by appropriate configuration of processor components). Also, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks <NUM> to <NUM> may be implemented by processor and memory component(s) of the network entity <NUM> (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and/or by appropriate configuration of processor components). For simplicity, various operations, acts, and/or functions are described herein as being performed "by a UE," "by a base station," "by a positioning entity," etc. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, acts, and/or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE, base station, positioning entity, etc., such as the processing systems <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, the transceivers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, the memory components <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, the PHR module <NUM>, etc..

<FIG> is a diagram <NUM> illustrating an example of a DL frame structure, according to aspects of the disclosure. <FIG> is a diagram <NUM> illustrating an example of channels within the DL frame structure, according to aspects of the disclosure. Other wireless communications technologies may have a different frame structures and/or different channels.

LTE, and in some cases NR, utilizes OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. Unlike LTE, however, NR has an option to use OFDM on the uplink as well. For example, the spacing of the subcarriers may be <NUM> and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) may be <NUM> subcarriers (or <NUM>). Consequently, the nominal FFT size may be equal to <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> for system bandwidth of <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> megahertz (MHz), respectively. For example, a subband may cover <NUM> (i.e., <NUM> resource blocks), and there may be <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> subbands for system bandwidth of <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, respectively.

LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast NR may support multiple numerologies, for example, subcarrier spacing of <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> or greater may be available. Table <NUM> provided below lists some various parameters for different NR numerologies.

In the examples of <FIG> and <FIG>, a numerology of <NUM> is used. Thus, in the time domain, a frame (e.g., <NUM>) is divided into <NUM> equally sized subframes of <NUM> each, and each subframe includes one time slot. In <FIG> and <FIG>, time is represented horizontally (e.g., on the X axis) with time increasing from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (e.g., on the Y axis) with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

A resource grid may be used to represent time slots, each time slot including one or more time concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also referred to as physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE may correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. In the numerology of <FIG> and <FIG>, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB may contain <NUM> consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and <NUM> consecutive symbols (for DL, OFDM symbols; for UL, SC-FDMA symbols) in the time domain, for a total of <NUM> REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB may contain <NUM> consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and <NUM> consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of <NUM> REs.

As illustrated in <FIG>, some of the REs carry DL reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The DL-RS may include demodulation reference signals (DMRS) and channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), exemplary locations of which are labeled "R" in <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates an example of various channels within a DL subframe of a frame. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DL control information (DCI) within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE including nine RE groups (REGs), each REG including four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol. The DCI carries information about UL resource allocation (persistent and non-persistent) and descriptions about DL data transmitted to the UE. Multiple (e.g., up to <NUM>) DCIs can be configured in the PDCCH, and these DCIs can have one of multiple formats. For example, there are different DCI formats for UL scheduling, for non-MIMO DL scheduling, for MIMO DL scheduling, and for UL power control.

A primary synchronization signal (PSS) is used by a UE to determine subframe/symbol timing and a physical layer identity. A secondary synchronization signal (SSS) is used by a UE to determine a physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine a PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the locations of the aforementioned DL-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH), which carries an MIB, may be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form an SSB (also referred to as an SS/PBCH). The MIB provides a number of RBs in the DL system bandwidth and a system frame number (SFN).

In some cases, the DL RS illustrated in <FIG> may be positioning reference signals (PRS). <FIG> illustrates an exemplary PRS configuration <NUM> for a cell supported by a wireless node (such as a base station <NUM>). <FIG> shows how PRS positioning occasions are determined by a system frame number (SFN), a cell specific subframe offset (ΔPRS) <NUM>, and the PRS periodicity (TPRS) <NUM>. Typically, the cell specific PRS subframe configuration is defined by a "PRS Configuration Index" IPRS included in observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) assistance data. The PRS periodicity (TPRS) <NUM> and the cell specific subframe offset (ΔPRS) are defined based on the PRS configuration index IPRS, as illustrated in Table <NUM> below.

A PRS configuration is defined with reference to the SFN of a cell that transmits PRS. PRS instances, for the first subframe of the NPRS downlink subframes comprising a first PRS positioning occasion, may satisfy: <MAT> where nf is the SFN with <NUM> ≤ nf ≤ <NUM>, ns is the slot number within the radio frame defined by nf with <NUM> ≤ ns ≤ <NUM>, TPRS is the PRS periodicity <NUM>, and ΔPRS is the cell-specific subframe offset <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the cell specific subframe offset ΔPRS <NUM> may be defined in terms of the number of subframes transmitted starting from system frame number <NUM> (Slot 'Number <NUM>', marked as slot <NUM>) to the start of the first (subsequent) PRS positioning occasion. In the example in <FIG>, the number of consecutive positioning subframes (NPRS) in each of the consecutive PRS positioning occasions 518a, 518b, and 518c equals <NUM>. That is, each shaded block representing PRS positioning occasions 518a, 518b, and 518c represents four subframes.

In some aspects, when a UE receives a PRS configuration index IPRS in the OTDOA assistance data for a particular cell, the UE may determine the PRS periodicity TPRS <NUM> and PRS subframe offset ΔPRS using Table <NUM>. The UE may then determine the radio frame, subframe, and slot when a PRS is scheduled in the cell (e.g., using equation (<NUM>)). The OTDOA assistance data may be determined by, for example, the location server (e.g., location server <NUM>, LMF <NUM>), and includes assistance data for a reference cell, and a number of neighbor cells supported by various base stations.

Typically, PRS occasions from all cells in a network that use the same frequency are aligned in time and may have a fixed known time offset (e.g., cell-specific subframe offset <NUM>) relative to other cells in the network that use a different frequency. In SFN-synchronous networks, all wireless nodes (e.g., base stations <NUM>) may be aligned on both frame boundary and system frame number. Therefore, in SFN-synchronous networks, all cells supported by the various wireless nodes may use the same PRS configuration index for any particular frequency of PRS transmission. On the other hand, in SFN-asynchronous networks, the various wireless nodes may be aligned on a frame boundary, but not system frame number. Thus, in SFN-asynchronous networks the PRS configuration index for each cell may be configured separately by the network so that PRS occasions align in time.

A UE may determine the timing of the PRS occasions of the reference and neighbor cells for OTDOA positioning, if the UE can obtain the cell timing (e.g., SFN) of at least one of the cells, e.g., the reference cell or a serving cell. The timing of the other cells may then be derived by the UE based, for example, on the assumption that PRS occasions from different cells overlap.

<NUM> introduced the power headroom report (PHR) as a MAC Control Element (CE). The PHR reports the headroom between the current UE transmit power (estimated power) and the nominal power. For example, the serving cell may use the PHR to estimate how much uplink bandwidth the UE is permitted to use for a particular subframe. The PHR may be triggered by PHR functional configuration or reconfiguration, cell activation, periodically, or by variation in pathloss or a power-backoff (P-MPRc) prior to a next periodic trigger for PHR. As one specific example, with regard to the pathloss PHR trigger, TS <NUM> Section <NUM>. <NUM> of 3GPP Rel. <NUM> specifies that the pathloss variation for one cell assessed above is between the pathloss measured at present time on the current pathloss reference signal (PL-RS) and the pathloss measured at the transmission time of the last PHR transmission on the PL-RS in use at that time, irrespective of whether the PL-RS has changed in between PL-RS. The PL-RS may be SSB or CSI-RS, and the UE can maintain up to four (<NUM>) PL-RSs per serving cell for all UL transmissions (e.g., Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), SRS, etc.).

<NUM> expanded upon the number of PL-RSs that may trigger PHRs. For example, in 3GPP Rel. <NUM>, a UL SRS for positioning (which may be characterized as a UL PRS) can be associated with SSB or DL PRS as PL-RS. Up to N PL-RSs may be used across all UL PRS sets in addition to the <NUM> PL RSs per serving cell as in 3GPP Rel. N is configurable as a UE capability (e.g., via RRC signaling), and may be equal to <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> or <NUM>. SSB may be from serving or neighboring cell (e.g., cell ID is indicated). Similarly, DL PRS may be from any TRP (e.g., TRP is indicated). SSB and PRS transmit power is also indicated.

Applying the pathloss-based PHR triggers associated with the <NUM> legacy PL-RSs from 3GPP Rel. <NUM> to the new PL-RSs introduced in 3GPP Rel. <NUM> increases the overall PHR activity, which adds to interference in the system while also increasing power consumption at the respective UEs. One or more embodiments of the disclosure are directed to implementing a PHR function (e.g., monitoring one or more conditions associated with a PL-RS for selectively triggering a PHR) in a selective manner.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary process <NUM> of wireless communication, according to aspects of the disclosure. In an aspect, the process <NUM> may be performed by a UE.

At <NUM>, the UE determines whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for a pathloss reference signal (PL-RS) based on a PL-RS type or cell type associated with the PL-RS. In an example, the determination of <NUM> may be based upon at least one rule associated with PHRs for PL-RSs. In an example, the at least one rule may be pre-defined (e.g., defined in the relevant standard). In another example, the at least one rule may be dynamically configured (e.g., via DCI or MAC-CE in some designs, via higher-layer signaling in other designs, such as RRC signaling). In an aspect, operation <NUM> may be performed by receiver(s) <NUM>, WWAN transceiver <NUM>, processing system <NUM>, memory <NUM>, PHR module <NUM>, etc..

At <NUM>, the UE performing a PHR function or one or more pathloss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination. In some designs, the performing of operation <NUM> performs the PHR function and the one or more pathloss measurements for the PL-RS (e.g., if the determination of <NUM> is to perform the PHR function). In other designs, the performing performs only the one or more pathloss measurements for the PL-RS (e.g., if the determination of <NUM> is not to perform the PHR function). In an example, the PHR function may comprise monitoring one or more conditions associated with a respective PL-RS for selectively triggering a PHR. As described above, these PHR triggering condition(s) may comprise PHR functional configuration or reconfiguration, cell activation, periodically, or by variation in pathloss or a power-backoff (P-MPRc) prior to a next periodic trigger for PHR. In an aspect, operation <NUM> may be performed by transmitter(s) <NUM>, WWAN transceiver <NUM>, processing system <NUM>, memory <NUM>, PHR module <NUM>, etc..

Referring to operations <NUM>-<NUM>, if the determination of <NUM> is not to perform the PHR function for the PL-RS, the UE can be characterized as 'refraining' from performing the PHR function for that PL-RS, which may be interpreted as the UE refraining from generating and/or transmitting a PHR, irrespective of whether one or more PHR triggering condition(s) are satisfied. So, the at least one rule effectively overrides the PHR triggering condition(s) such that a PHR is not reported in a scenario where a PHR would have been transmitted if the determination at <NUM> determines to perform the PHR function.

Referring to <NUM> of <FIG>, irrespective of whether the PHR function is performed with respect to the PL-RS, in some designs, the UE performs one or more pathloss measurements on the PL-RS in association with one or more UL PRSs. The UE further optionally performs power control for the UL PRS(s) based on the one or more pathloss measurements at <NUM>. In this case, if the determination of <NUM> is not to perform the PHR function, then the one or more pathloss measurements are ignored for PHR-related consideration for the PL-RS. Alternatively, one or more of these optional pathloss measurement(s) may be used to selectively trigger a PHR if the determination of <NUM> is to perform the PHR function.

In an example, PL-RSs for which the determination of <NUM> is to perform the PHR function may correspond to a first set of PL-RSs, and PL-RSs for which the determination of <NUM> is not to perform the PHR function may correspond to a second set of PL-RSs. In this case, the UL PRSs may or may not include the cell(s) associated with the first set of PL-RS, and limiting pathloss on the second set of PL-RSs may be unnecessary (e.g., redundant with the pathloss management performed for the first set of PL-RSs is the same cell(s) are involved), in which case the optional pathloss measurements may not be performed for the second set of PL-RSs. In some designs, the first set of PL-RSs is used to selectively trigger the PHR, whereas both the first and second sets of PL-RSs are used for the UL-PRSs.

Referring to <FIG>, by way of example, excluding certain PL-RS(s) from the PHR function provides one or more technical advantages (e.g., relative to simply performing the PHR function on all PL-RSs), such as reduced power consumption at the UE, reduced system overhead and/or interference, scalability (e.g., more PL-RSs can be supported without experiencing PHR-related bottlenecks), and so on.

Various rules that may be used to sort PL-RSs as part of the first set of PL-RSs or the second set of PL-RSs will now be described. One or more of the aforementioned rules may be used as part of the determination at <NUM> of <FIG>. In particular, the rules below are described with respect to first and second sets of PL-RSs, whereby PL-RSs for which the determination of <NUM> is to perform the PHR function may correspond to the first set of PL-RSs, and PL-RSs for which the determination of <NUM> is not to perform the PHR function may correspond to the second set of PL-RSs.

Referring to <FIG>, in a first rule example, the least one rule may be to characterize the <NUM> legacy 3GPP Rel. <NUM> PL-RSs as part of the first set of PL-RSs, while characterizing any other PL-RSs as part of the second set of PL-RSs. In this case, the inclusion of additional PL-RSs will have no impact to PHR.

Referring to <FIG>, in a second rule example, the at least one rule may comprise excluding, from participation in the PHR function, any RS serving as a PL-RS for a UL PRS. As used herein, exclusion of a PL-RS from the PHR function implies characterization of that excluded PL-RS as part of the second set of PL-RSs. Further, as used herein, an "UL PRS" may be any combination of an SRS explicitly identified as an 'SRS for positioning' (or equivalent), or a subset of such SRSs (e.g., SRS that are for positioning while further satisfying minimum and/or maximum bandwidth thresholds, comb-density, duration, a comb-staggering condition such as whether comb-staggering is enabled/disabled, etc.).

Referring to <FIG>, in a third rule example, the at least one rule may comprise excluding, from participation in the PHR function, any RS serving as a PL-RS for only a UL PRS. For example, a first PL-RS that is common to a UL PRS as well as other UL channel(s) may be part of the first set (i.e., included for PHR function), whereas a second PL-RS that is specific to a UL PRS and is not associated with other UL channel(s) may be part of the second set (i.e., excluded for PHR function),.

Referring to <FIG>, in a fourth rule example, the at least one rule may comprise excluding, from participation in the PHR function, any DL PRS serving as RS. In an example, one DL-PRS serving as a PL-RS for a UL-PRS may be excluded in a more selective manner, e.g., based on TRP-ID (e.g., DL PRSs associated with certain TRPs are part of the first set, and DL PRSs associated with other TRPs are part of the second set). In a more specific implementation, the at least one rule may comprise excluding, from participation in the PHR function, any DL PRS associated with a non-serving cell (e.g., determined based on TRP-ID). In this case, a first PL for a DL PRS that is associated with a serving cell may be part of the first set (i.e., included for PHR function), whereas a second PL for a DL PRS that is associated with a non-serving cell may be part of the second set (i.e., excluded for PHR function).

Referring to <FIG>, in a fifth rule example, the at least one rule may comprise excluding, from participation in the PHR function, any RS serving as a PL-RS for any DL RS associated with a non-serving cell. In an example, the non-serving cell may be identified based on an associated TRP-ID.

Referring to <FIG>, in a sixth rule example, the at least one rule may comprise multiple rules, such as any of the rules noted above, implemented in combination. In this case, there may be multiple rules by which PL-RSs are excluded from (or included in) participation in the PHR function. For example, the at least one rule may comprise excluding, from participation in the PHR function any RS serving as a PL-RS for an UL PRS, any RS serving as a PL-RS for only a UL PRS, any DL-PRS serving as PL-RS for UL-PRS, any RS serving as a PL-RS for a DL PRS associated with a non-serving cell, any RS serving as a PL-RS for any DL RS associated with a non-serving cell, or any combination thereof.

At <NUM>, the UE determines whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for a pathloss reference signal (PL-RS) based on an indication associated with the PL-RS that is received from a serving cell of the UE. In an example, the determination of <NUM> may be based upon at least one rule associated with PHRs for PL-RSs. In an example, the at least one rule may be pre-defined (e.g., defined in the relevant standard). In another example, the at least one rule may be dynamically configured (e.g., via DCI or MAC-CE in some designs, via higher-layer signaling in other designs, such as RRC signaling). In an aspect, operation <NUM> may be performed by receiver(s) <NUM>, WWAN transceiver <NUM>, processing system <NUM>, memory <NUM>, PHR module <NUM>, etc..

Referring to <FIG>, in a first rule example, the at least one rule may comprise excluding, from participation in the PHR function, any RS serving as a PL-RS for which an explicit indication is provided that indicates PHR function exclusion (e.g., an explicit 'opt-out' rule). As an alternative, the at least one rule may comprise excluding, from participation in the PHR function, any RS serving as a PL-RS for which no explicit indication is provided that indicates PHR function inclusion (e.g., an explicit 'opt-in' rule). In some designs, the explicit opt-in rule or explicit opt-out rule may be implemented for particular RS types, such as RSs that serve as PL-RS for at least one UL PRS, or that only serve as PL-RS for UL PRS (e.g., as opposed to a common PL-RS that is associated with both UL PRS and other channel type(s)). In some designs, the explicit opt-in rule or explicit opt-out rule may apply to one or more of the <NUM> legacy 3GPP Rel. <NUM> PL-RSs.

Referring to <FIG>, in a second rule example, the at least one rule may comprise excluding, from participation in the PHR function, any RS serving as a PL-RS for which an implicit indication is provided that indicates PHR function exclusion (e.g., an implicit 'opt-out' rule). As an alternative, the at least one rule may comprise excluding, from participation in the PHR function, any RS serving as a PL-RS for which no implicit indication is provided that indicates PHR function inclusion (e.g., an implicit 'opt-in' rule). In some designs, the implicit opt-in rule or implicit opt-out rule may be implemented for particular RS types, such as RSs that serve as PL-RS for at least one UL PRS, or that only serve as PL-RS for UL PRS (e.g., as opposed to a common PL-RS that is associated with both UL PRS and other channel type(s)). In some designs, the implicit opt-in rule or implicit opt-out rule may apply to one or more of the <NUM> legacy 3GPP Rel. <NUM> PL-RSs.

Referring to <FIG>, in a third rule example, the at least one rule may comprise multiple rules, such as any of the rules noted above, implemented in combination. In this case, there may be multiple rules by which PL-RSs are excluded from (or included in) participation in the PHR function. For example, the at least one rule may comprise excluding, from participation in the PHR function, any RS serving as a PL-RS for which an explicit indication is provided that indicates PHR function exclusion, excluding, from participation in the PHR function, any RS serving as a PL-RS for which no explicit indication is provided that indicates PHR function inclusion, excluding, from participation in the PHR function, any RS serving as a PL-RS for which an implicit indication is provided that indicates PHR function exclusion, excluding, from participation in the PHR function, any RS serving as a PL-RS for which no implicit indication is provided that indicates PHR function inclusion, or any combination thereof.

While the processes <NUM> and <NUM> of <FIG> relates to reducing PHR overhead (and associated UE power consumption) by restricting the PHR function to a particular subset of PL-RSs, other embodiments of the disclosure are directed to selective triggering of PHRs for PL-RS(s) for which the PHR function is performed.

As noted above, in 3GPP Rel. <NUM>, pathloss variation is one potential PHR trigger. In more detail, 3GPP Rel. <NUM> triggers PHR based upon a differential between an 'old' pathloss value and a 'new' pathloss value. The old pathloss value is based on a PL-RS associated with the most recent PHR transmission. The new pathloss value is for any PL-RS monitored after the most recent PHR transmission. Hence, the pathloss differential value per 3GPP Rel. <NUM> is potentially between two different PL-RSs. However, different PL-RSs can be associated with different TRPs and potentially even different cells. Factoring a pathloss differential between two disparate PL-RSs will generally lead to a higher (and possibly meaningless) pathloss differential that could trigger a relatively high number of PHRs, which can lead to increased system overhead (or interference) as well as increased power consumption at the respective UEs. Further, per 3GPP Rel. <NUM>, PHR is computed based on a real or virtual PUSCH or SRS. The PL-RS for the PUSCH or SRS may or may not be the same as the PL-RS for the old pathloss value and/or the new pathloss value (e.g., if not the same PL-RS, then unnecessary PHRs may be triggered which causes interference in the UL power control, similar to different TRPs).

If the above-noted pathloss-based PHR rules are implemented with respect to PL-RS for positioning (e.g., such as those introduced in 3GPP Rel. <NUM> as noted above), various problems may occur, including:.

Embodiments of the disclosure are directed to providing the technical advantage of solving one or more of the aforementioned problems, as will be described below with respect to <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates a process <NUM> of wireless communication, according to embodiments of the invention. In an aspect, the process <NUM> may be performed by a UE.

At <NUM>, the UE determines an old pathloss vector that comprises a first plurality of pathloss values for a plurality of elements, each of the first plurality of pathloss values being based on one or more pathloss measurements for the respective element that are prior to a respective time for the respective element. For example, for a particular element, the respective time may correspond to a time of transmission of a previously transmitted PHR associated with the respective element. As will be appreciated, the respective time may vary from element to element, and may be associated with a PHR transmission time on an element-specific basis. The old pathloss vector may be a matrix or table that comprises at least one pathloss value for each of N respective elements, whereby N is greater than or equal to <NUM>. In some designs, at least one element in the old pathloss vector may correspond to one respective PL-RS. In other designs, at least one element in the old pathloss vector may correspond to multiple PL-RSs. For example, one particular PL-RS may be selected from multiple PL-RS as representative for those multiple PL-RSs for a particular cell or TRP, and an element may correspond to this particular representative PL-RS. For example, the representative PL-RS may be selected as a configured PL-RS, a most recent PL-RS (e.g., a most recently measured PL-RS, such that if a group of PL-RSs are associated with one cell, the latest measured PL-RS for that cell is reported, which may be pre-configured, persistent, or semi-static, based on an associated ID (e.g., select the PL-RS with the highest or lowest ID as the representative PL-RS, etc.). In some designs, at least one element among the plurality of elements may be associated with a non-serving cell of the UE, at least one element among the plurality of elements may be associated with a serving cell of the UE, or a combination thereof. In an aspect, operation <NUM> may be performed by receiver(s) <NUM>, WWAN transceiver <NUM>, processing system <NUM>, memory <NUM>, PHR module <NUM>, sensor(s) <NUM>, etc..

At <NUM>, the UE determines a new pathloss vector that comprises a second plurality of pathloss values for the plurality of elements, each of the second plurality of pathloss values being based on at least one pathloss measurement that is at or after (e.g., more recent than) the respective time for the respective element (e.g., a transmission time of the previously transmitted PHR associated with the respective element). In particular, the old pathloss vector and the new pathloss vector are aligned element-by-element. By contrast, as noted above, 3GPP Rel. <NUM> permits a mixing-and-matching of old and new pathloss values associated with disparate PL-RSs (or elements), which has potential negative PHR impacts as noted above. The element configuration of the new pathloss matrix corresponds to the element configuration of the old pathloss matrix as discussed above with respect to <NUM>, and will not be discussed again for the sake of brevity. In an aspect, operation <NUM> may be performed by receiver(s) <NUM>, WWAN transceiver <NUM>, processing system <NUM>, memory <NUM>, PHR module <NUM>, sensor(s) <NUM>, etc..

At <NUM>, the UE selectively triggers, for a given element among the plurality of elements, a PHR based upon respective pathloss values for the given element in the old pathloss vector and the new pathloss vector. In an example, the selective triggering at <NUM> is associated with a differential between the respective pathloss values for the respective element. The selective triggering triggers the PHR at <NUM> if the differential exceeds a first threshold. For example, the UE may obtain a threshold vector that comprises a plurality of thresholds for the plurality of elements, wherein the first threshold corresponds to a respective threshold in the plurality of thresholds corresponding to the respective element. For example, the plurality of thresholds may vary based on various factors, such as component carrier (CC), environmental factors, frequency attenuation differentials associated with different cells, TRPs or PL-RS types, quasi-location (QCL) information and/or beam characteristics (e.g., broad vs. narrow beams), etc. In an example, different elements may use different thresholds for triggering PHRs. In an aspect, operation <NUM> may be performed by processing system <NUM>, memory <NUM>, PHR module <NUM>, etc..

Referring to <NUM> of <FIG>, if the differential cannot be calculated (e.g., measurement failure) or if the differential exceeds a second threshold that is higher than the first threshold, the PHR reports a default pathloss value instead of the differential. Alternatively, if the differential does not exceed the second threshold, the PHR reports the differential (e.g., instead of the default value). In a further example, the second threshold may be specifically associated with certain cells, such as non-serving cells. In this case, elements that are associated with a serving cell of the UE may transmit the differential (e.g., instead of the default value) irrespective whether the differential exceeds the second threshold.

Referring to <NUM> of <FIG>, in an example, the second threshold can be set to a value that is unrealistically or impractically large. For example, for an ISD range of <NUM>, the maximum PL is T, and current RL-RS is x. In this case, the second threshold can be set to |T-x|. If new measurements surpass this threshold, the measurement is unreliable, even though the measurement is technically completed.

Referring to <NUM> of <FIG>, an example of the selective triggering may be based on the following expression: <MAT> whereby p_old denotes an old pathloss value for an element, p_new denotes a new pathloss value for the element, v denotes the first threshold, and a PHR is triggered if Expression <NUM> is satisfied (e.g., >=<NUM> or ><NUM>).

Referring to <FIG>, in some designs, the addition of a new non-serving cell may result in an increase to the number of elements in the respective pathloss vectors (e.g., due to an increase in PL-RS(s)). This may occur at an initial configuration or a reconfiguration of the new non-serving cell.

Referring to <FIG>, in some designs, not all elements among the respective pathloss vectors may have quantitative pathloss values for the old and new pathloss values. For example, for a particular element, the UE may experience pathloss measurement failure when that element is measured, such that a differential pathloss value associated with old/new pathloss value(s) associated with pathloss measurement failure is set to a default value (e.g., a null value such as -<NUM>). In some designs, the presence of such a default value may trigger a PHR for that element (e.g., for serving cells) or may alternatively result is no PHR being transmitted (e.g., for non-serving cells). For the latter case, even if not triggered based on a pathloss differential, a PHR can be triggered for an element for other reasons as noted above. In this case, a default value (or default values) for the differential pathloss value can be reported in the PHR.

Referring to <FIG>, if one or more of the elements in the respective pathloss vectors are associated with a non-serving cells, one or more supplemental PHR triggering conditions may be specified for those element(s) (e.g., in addition to the pathloss differential aspect and/or using a different threshold or offset v).

Referring to <FIG>, by way of example, syncing old pathloss values and old pathloss values to the same respective elements results in improved PHR computations, which can reduce transmission of unnecessary PHRs. This in turn reduces power consumption at the UE, system overhead and/or interference, and improves scalability (e.g., more PL-RSs can be supported without experiencing PHR-related bottlenecks), and so on.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary process <NUM> of wireless communication, according to aspects of the disclosure. This exemplary process does not, by itself, include all of the features of the independent claims and so does not, by itself, fall within the scope of the independent claims. In an aspect, the process <NUM> may be performed by a UE.

At <NUM>, the UE determines that a differential pathloss value between two respective pathloss values associated with two pathloss measurement attempts for an element (e.g., PL-RS or representative PL-RS) is unavailable or is higher than a threshold value. In an example, the determination of <NUM> may be based on at least one of the two respective values being outside of a defined value range (e.g., a so-called 'impossible' value, indicative of an improper measurement, would cause any differential pathloss value based on that impossible value to be higher than the threshold value). In another example, the determination of <NUM> may be based on at least one of the two pathloss measurement attempts resulting in measurement failure. In yet another example, the determination of <NUM> may be based on a pathloss value for only one pathloss measurement attempt being available (e.g., no old pathloss value is available, which may occur upon initial configuration or reconfiguration of a respective cell, etc.). In an aspect, operation <NUM> may be performed by receiver(s) <NUM>, WWAN transceiver <NUM>, processing system <NUM>, memory <NUM>, PHR module <NUM>, sensor(s) <NUM>, etc..

At <NUM>, the UE selectively triggers a PHR for the element based on the determination. In an aspect, operation <NUM> may be performed by processing system <NUM>, memory <NUM>, PHR module <NUM>, etc. In an aspect, <NUM> may comprise transmission of the PHR for the element (e.g., indicating a default value, including a differential pathloss value that is based on a pathloss value associated with a different element, in some cases, for particular cell types, such as serving cells, etc.). In another aspect, <NUM> may comprise refraining from transmission of the PHR for the element (e.g., delay PHR reporting until two valid old/new pathloss values are available, in some cases, for particular cell types such as non-serving cells, etc.). In an aspect, operation <NUM> may be performed by processing system <NUM>, memory <NUM>, PHR module <NUM>, sensor(s) <NUM>, etc..

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.

The methods, sequences and/or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE).

In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.

Claim 1:
A method of operating a user equipment, UE, comprising:
determining (<NUM>) an old pathloss vector that comprises a plurality of elements and a first plurality of pathloss values for the plurality of elements, each element being associated with at least one pathloss reference signal, PL-RS, each of the first plurality of pathloss values being based on one or more pathloss measurements for the respective element that are prior to a respective time for the respective element;
determining (<NUM>) a new pathloss vector that comprises a second plurality of pathloss values for the plurality of elements, each of the second plurality of pathloss values being based on at least one pathloss measurement for the respective element that is at or after the respective time for the respective element;
selectively triggering (<NUM>), for a given element among the plurality of elements, a power headroom report, PHR, based upon respective pathloss values for the given element in the old pathloss vector and the new pathloss vector;
wherein the selectively triggering (<NUM>) is associated with a differential between the respective pathloss values for the given element;
wherein the selectively triggering (<NUM>) triggers the PHR if the differential exceeds a first threshold;
characterized in that,
if the differential cannot be calculated or if the differential exceeds a second threshold that is higher than the first threshold, the PHR reports a default pathloss value instead of the differential, and,
if the differential does not exceed the second threshold, the PHR reports the differential.