WO2024216610A1

WO2024216610A1 - Gap configuration for positioning measurements

Info

Publication number: WO2024216610A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/089625
Authority: WO
Inventors: Srinivasan Selvaganapathy; Mads LAURIDSEN; Ping Yuan; Jing Yuan Sun; Jeroen Wigard
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co., Ltd.; Nokia Solutions And Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2023-04-20
Filing date: 2023-04-20
Publication date: 2024-10-24

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to gap configurations for positioning measurements. In an aspect, a terminal device determines whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is received from a network device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration. Based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, the terminal device performs at least one positioning measurement in a first measurement gap. Based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, the terminal device performs the at least one positioning measurement in a second measurement gap. In this way, the flexibility of the positioning measurement of the terminal device may be enhanced.

Description

GAP CONFIGURATION FOR POSITIONING MEASUREMENTS

FIELD

Example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunication, and in particular, to a terminal device, a network device, methods, apparatuses and a computer readable storage medium for gap configurations for positioning measurements.

BACKGROUND

With development of communication technology, more and more communication scenarios may relate to a non-terrestrial network (NTN) . A NTN refers to networks or segments of networks using NTN devices, such as satellites, unmanned aerial system (UAS) devices, etc., to provide a radio access network interface to a user equipment (UE) and backhaul connectivity to a core network including access to a data network. However, there are several technical challenges obstructing the use of NTN devices in wireless communication systems. For example, there may be significantly large signal transmission propagation delays (e.g., round-trip transmission delays, etc. ) between the NTN device and the UE due to the large geographic distance between the NTN device and the UE.

Currently, the UE needs to perform pre-compensation of uplink transmissions in terms of time and frequency adjustments. Such pre-compensation may be based on the UE being aware of the distance between the UE and the NTN device. The UE may perform positioning measurements to determine its position with reference to the NTN device. Enhancements for configurations for such measurements are still needed.

SUMMARY

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for enhancements to gap configurations for positioning measurements.

In a first aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to: determine whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is received from a network device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration; based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, perform at least one positioning measurement in a first measurement gap; and based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, perform the at least one positioning measurement in a second measurement gap.

In a second aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device at least to: determine whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is transmitted to a terminal device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration of the terminal device; based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, determine that at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a first measurement gap; and based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, determine that the at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a second measurement gap.

In a third aspect, there is provided a method. The method comprises: determining, at a terminal device, whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is received from a network device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration; based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, performing at least one positioning measurement in a first measurement gap; and based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, performing the at least one positioning measurement in a second measurement gap.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method. The method comprises: determining, at a network device, whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is transmitted to a terminal device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration of the terminal device; based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, determining that at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a first measurement gap; and based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, determining that the at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a second measurement gap.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus. The apparatus comprises means for determining whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is received from a network device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration; means for based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, performing at least one positioning measurement in a first measurement gap; and means for based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, performing the at least one positioning measurement in a second measurement gap.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus. The apparatus comprises means for determining whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is transmitted to a terminal device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration of the terminal device; means for based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, determining that at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a first measurement gap; and means for based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, determining that the at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a second measurement gap.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device comprises determining circuitry configured to determine whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is received from a network device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration; performing circuitry configured to perform at least one positioning measurement in a first measurement gap based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space; and performing circuitry configured to perform the at least one positioning measurement in a second measurement gap based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device comprises determining circuitry configured to determine whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is transmitted to a terminal device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration of the terminal device; determining circuitry configured to determine that at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a first measurement gap based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space; and determining circuitry configured to determine that the at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a second measurement gap based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space.

In a ninth aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to any one of the above third to fourth aspects.

In a tenth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus at least to perform at least the method according to any one of the above third to fourth aspects.

It is to be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates an example communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

Fig. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at an terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3A illustrates an example block diagram illustrating gap configurations for positioning measurements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3B illustrates an example block diagram illustrating gap configurations for positioning measurements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3C illustrates an example block diagram illustrating gap configurations for positioning measurements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3D illustrates an example block diagram illustrating gap configurations for positioning measurements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3E illustrates an example block diagram illustrating gap configurations for positioning measurements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3F illustrates an example block diagram illustrating gap configurations for positioning measurements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 5 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure; and

Fig. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer readable medium in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment, ” “an embodiment, ” “an example embodiment, ” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

It shall be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a” , “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” , “comprising” , “has” , “having” , “includes” and/or “including” , when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and/or combinations thereof. As used herein, “at least one of the following: <a list of two or more elements>” and “at least one of <a list of two or more elements>” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or” , mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry) and

(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) :

(i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit (s) with software/firmware and

(ii) any portions of hardware processor (s) with software (including digital signal processor (s) ) , software, and memory (ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and

(c) hardware circuit (s) and or processor (s) , such as a microprocessor (s) or a portion of a microprocessor (s) , that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) , LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) , Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) , High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) , Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and so on. Furthermore, the communications between a terminal device and a network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) , 4.5G, the future fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, and/or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.

As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP) , for example, a node B (NodeB or NB) , an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB) , a gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU) , a gNB central unit (gNB-CU) , a Remote Radio Unit (RRU) , a radio header (RH) , a remote radio head (RRH) , a relay, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology.

The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE) , a Subscriber Station (SS) , a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS) , or an Access Terminal (AT) . The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE) , laptop-mounted equipment (LME) , USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE) , an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD) , a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery) , an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and/or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and/or an automated processing chain contexts) , a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and/or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms “terminal device” , “communication device” , “terminal” , “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

As used herein, the term “access network device” refers to a device which is capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage where terminal devices can communicate. Examples of a network device include, but not limited to, a Node B (NodeB or NB) , an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , a next generation NodeB (gNB) , a transmission reception point (TRP) , a remote radio unit (RRU) , a radio head (RH) , a remote radio head (RRH) , an terminal device, a low power node such as a femto node, a pico node, a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) , and the like.

At least one example embodiment relates to a wireless NTN system. A NTN system may provide services in areas that cannot be covered by terrestrial cellular networks (i.e. those networks where coverage is provided by means of land-based antennas) , such as isolated or remote areas, on board aircraft or vessels, or may provide enhanced services in other areas. The expanded coverage that may be achieved by means of non-terrestrial networks may provide service continuity for terminal devices such as machine type communication (MTC) devices or loT devices, or for passengers on board moving platforms (e.g. passenger vehicles such as aircraft, ships, high speed trains, or buses) . Other benefits may arise from the use of non-terrestrial networks for providing multicast/broadcast resources for data delivery.

At least one NTN device in the NTN system may function as a transmission relay node or an access network device. For example, part of the access network device or the entire access network device may be hosted on the NTN device. While the various example embodiments of the present disclosure are discussed in connection with the 5G wireless communication standard for the sake of clarity and convenience, the example embodiments are not limited thereto, and one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize the example embodiments may be applicable to other wireless communication standards, such as the 4G wireless protocol, a future 6G wireless protocol, a future 7G wireless protocol, a Wi-Fi system, etc.

As mentioned above, positioning measurements are needed for the terminal device to perform pre-compensation of uplink transmissions in terms of time and frequency adjustments. Such pre-compensation is needed especially when the NTN system is operating over low-earth orbit satellites, which move at a speed of about 28,000 km/h relative to the Earth. The pre-compensation is based on the terminal device being aware of the position of the target NTN device and the terminal device’s own position. The position of the target NTN device may be obtained e.g., via satellite assistance information broadcast in SIB31. The terminal device’s own position may be acquired via positioning measurements. As used herein, the term “positions” refers to geographic positions. The term “positioning measurements” may refer to Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements, multi-round-trip-time (multi-RTT) positioning measurements, observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) positioning measurements or other 3GPP-based positioning measurements. In the following, embodiments of the present disclosure may be described with reference to the GNSS measurements. It should be understood, that embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied to any other positioning measurements. By calculating the distance between the terminal device and the NTN device and how the distance will change during a transmission, the terminal device can determine when to transmit and receive data to/from the NTN device.

In Release 17 and Release 18, one main assumption for NTN communication is that the terminal device is not able to communicate with the NTN system and perform GNSS measurements simultaneously. In Release 17, it was therefore agreed that a terminal device needs to move to a RRC idle mode when it has to perform a GNSS measurement. Such a need is known to the terminal device and the network device based on the terminal device reporting the remaining GNSS validity duration to the network device. However, moving to the RRC idle mode would create overhead in terms of connection setup signaling. In particular, in the case that the terminal device has a long connection and is non-stationary, the terminal device may need to move to the RRC idle mode to perform GNSS measurements multiple times. Therefore, there is a need to improve positioning measurement operations for a new position fix for terminal device pre-compensation during long connection times and for reduced power consumption.

In Release 18, simultaneous GNSS measurements and cellular NTN communications (e.g., NB-IoT/eMTC operations over NTN) are still not assumed. The RAN1#110 has agreed to support the network device to at least aperiodically trigger the terminal device to perform GNSS measurements. If the network device aperiodically triggers to the terminal device to perform GNSS measurements, a MAC CE is used. The terminal device reports GNSS position fix time duration for measurement at least during the initial access stage. In a connected mode, the terminal device may report GNSS validation duration to network device with MAC CE.

The RAN1#111 has agreed that for GNSS measurement in a RRC connected mode, if the network device aperiodically triggers the connected terminal device to perform GNSS measurements, the terminal device can re-acquire GNSS position fix with a gap. Further studies on details of the gap configuration are still needed. The terminal device may re-acquire GNSS positions autonomously (when configured by the network device) if the terminal device does not receive trigger indications from the network device to perform GNSS measurements. Further studies for the autonomous GNSS measurements based on configured timing are still needed.

The RAN1#112 has agreed that regarding to when the GNSS measurement gap starts, which is aperiodically triggered by the network device with MAC CE, RAN1 can down select one of the following alternatives. In a first alternative, the start time should be at n+ X, where n is the end of a MAC CE receiving subframe/slot. Further studies on details of X, e.g. predefined value or configured value are still needed. In a second alternative, the start time should be based on the current GNSS validity duration with delay or without delay. The following alternatives can be considered to inform the network device the success of GNSS measurement at the terminal device side after the GNSS measurement in the RRC connected mode. In a first alternative, the terminal device will report the new GNSS validity duration. In a second alternative, the network device may be informed of the success of GNSS measurement based on the reception of any UL transmission from the terminal device after the GNSS measurement. Regarding to the length of GNSS measurement gap, which is aperiodically triggered by network device, the gap duration should be equal to or larger than the latest terminal device reported GNSS position fix time duration. Further studies on whether the gap duration is configured by the network device, or the gap duration is equal to the latest reported GNSS position fix time duration are still needed.

In other words, in the current Release 18 discussions, the RAN1 has agreed that the network device can trigger the terminal device to perform a GNSS measurement, but also that the terminal device may re-acquire the GNSS positions autonomously if the terminal device has not received the trigger indication from the network device to perform GNSS measurements. The measurements (either triggered or autonomously performed) are expected to take place when the current GNSS validity duration is about to expire, but it is yet to be defined whether the terminal device starts the autonomous GNSS measurement gap before, at, or after the GNSS validity duration has expired. Meanwhile, it is clear that the network device is responsible for the configuration of the autonomous GNSS measurement gap of the terminal device, such that both the terminal device and the network device may have a common understanding of when the terminal device is available for scheduling.

When autonomous gaps are configured for GNSS measurements of a terminal device, the gap location may be fixed to a specific position with respect to the GNSS validity timer expiry. This may lead to creation of scheduling gaps for the terminal device if such autonomous GNSS measurement gap location overlaps with the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) search spaces e.g., for the NB-IoT.

The term “search space” used herein can refer to a region in a downlink resource grid where PDCCH transmissions may be carried. For example, the terminal device may determine or be configured with one or more monitoring occasions for reception of downlink control information (DCI) . Only as an example, the terminal device may perform blind decoding throughout the search space to find PDCCH transmissions which carries the DCI. The certain region in which the terminal device performs blind decoding may be called Search Space.

Details on the search space configuration (e.g., for NB-IoT) are given below in Tables 1 and 2. Table 1 illustrates an example of higher layer signaling for a Narrowband PDCCH (NPDCCH) configuration defined in TS 36.331. In this example, an information element including the fields listed in Table 1 may be referred to as NPDCCH-ConfigDedicated-NB, which may define subframes and resource blocks for monitoring a NPDCCH. Table 2 shows field descriptions of NPDCCH-ConfigDedicated-NB information element.

Table 1 NPDCCH-ConfigDedicated-NB information element

Table 2 NPDCCH-ConfigDedicated-NB field descriptions

NPDCCH related procedures are defined in TS 36.213. The locations of starting subframe k are given by k = k_b where k_b is the b^th consecutive NB-IoT DL subframe from subframe k0, excluding subframes used for transmission of SI messages, and b=u·R, and The subframe k0 is a subframe satisfying the condition where T=R_max·G and T≥4. For NPDCCH UE-specific search space, G is given by the higher layer parameter npdcch-StartSF-USS, except for NPDCCH candidates associated with a preconfigured uplink resource radio network temporary identifier (PUR-RNTI) in which case it is given by higher layer parameter npdcch-StartSF-USS in PUR-Config-NB. α_offset is given by the higher layer parameter npdcch-Offset-USS, except for NPDCCH candidates associated with PUR-RNTI in which case it is given by higher layer parameter npdcch-Offset-USS in PUR-Config-NB.

Note how the start offset (α_offset·R_max·G) in TS 36.213 defines the offset between PDDCH monitoring indications can become very long depending on the configuration of npdcch-NumRepetitions, npdcch-StartSF-USS and npdcch-Offset-USS in TS 36.331.

As mentioned above, when autonomous gaps are configured for GNSS measurements of a terminal device, the gap location may be fixed to a specific position with respect to the GNSS validity timer expiry. This may lead to creation of scheduling gaps for the terminal device if such autonomous GNSS measurement gap location overlaps with the PDCCH search spaces e.g., for the NB-IoT. Such gaps would be problematic, since they will reduce the scheduling flexibility for the network device and also delay data transfers, which are critical in NTN communications, where NTN devices such as satellites are only available for a limited period of time. The scenario is also applicable for eMTC operations that are configured with MPDCCH with larger number of repetitions.

A solution for configuration of the autonomous gaps for positioning measurements is needed. Principle and example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 illustrates an example communication network 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. As shown in Fig. 1, the communication network 100 includes a terminal device 110, a NTN device 120, a ground station 130, and a data network 140.

The terminal device 110, the NTN device 120, and/or the ground station 130 may be connected over a wireless network, such as a wireless radio access network (e.g., a 3G wireless access network, a 4G-Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, a 5G-New Radio (e.g., 5G) wireless network, a future 6G wireless network, a future 7G wireless network, etc. ) . The ground station 130 and the data network 140 (e.g., the Internet, an intranet, a wide area network, etc. ) may connect to each other over a wired and/or wireless network. Additionally or alternatively, the ground station 130 may be connected to other core network elements not shown in Fig. 1, such as servers, access points, switches, routers, nodes, etc.

The terminal device 110 may be any one of, but not limited to, a mobile device, a tablet, a laptop computer, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a desktop computer and/or any other type of stationary or portable device capable of operating according to the 5G NR communication standard, and/or other wireless communication standard.

The NTN device 120 may be a low earth orbiting (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbiting (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbiting (GEO) satellite, a UAS device (e.g., a drone, a blimp, a balloon, etc. ) , a high altitude platform station (HAPS) vehicle, a manned aerial vehicle (MAV) device, etc. Further, there may be a plurality of NTN devices that act as a constellation of NTN devices, providing a coordinated coverage area among the plurality of NTN devices, e.g., a constellation of satellites, a constellation of UASs, and/or a constellation of satellites and UASs, etc.

In some embodiments, the NTN device 120 may function as a transmission relay node between the ground station 130 and the terminal device 110 in a transparent manner. For example, the same data may be sent back down to the ground station 130 as is received by the NTN device 120 from the terminal device 110, with only frequency conversion and amplification of the wireless communication signal. Similarly, the same data may be sent back down to the terminal device 110 as is received by the NTN device 120 from the ground station 130, with only frequency conversion and amplification of the wireless communication signal.

In some embodiments, the NTN device 120 may function as an entire or part of an access network device according to an underlying cellular and/or wireless network communications protocol. For example, the NTN device 120 may operate as a 5G gNB node or an LTE ng-eNB node, etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. In some embodiments, when the NTN device 120 operates as the access network device, the NTN device 120 will digitally process wireless communication signals to/from the terminal device 110 and is the wireless communication signal transmission and reception point. This requires the NTN device 120 to have sufficient on-board processing capabilities to be able to include a nodeB functionality.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may perform positioning measurements to obtain its positioning information. In this way, the terminal device 110 may be aware of the distance between the terminal device 110 and the NTN device 120 and thus be able to perform pre-compensation of uplink transmissions in terms of time and frequency adjustments during the NTN communication. The validity of the positioning information of the terminal device 110 may expire after a period of time elapses since the positioning measurements and the terminal device 110 needs to perform positioning measurements again so as to ensure the reliability of the NTN communication. When performing the positioning measurements, the terminal device 110 may be unable to perform NTN cellular communication simultaneously.

It is to be understood that the architecture of the network 100 shown in Fig. 1 is described only for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitation. In addition, it is to be understood that the numbers of terminal devices, NTN devices, ground stations and data networks and their connections shown in Fig. 1 are only for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations. The network 100 may include any suitable number of terminal devices, NTN devices, ground stations, data networks and other devices adapted for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it would be appreciated that one or more additional devices may be deployed in the network 100.

Communications in the communication network 100 may be implemented according to any proper communication protocol (s) , comprising, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) and the fifth generation (5G) and on the like, wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and the like, and/or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Moreover, the communication may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) , Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) , Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) , Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) , Time Division Duplex (TDD) , Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) , Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM) , Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and/or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

Reference is now made to Fig. 2, which shows an example method 200 implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the method 200 can be implemented at a device in a communication network, such as the terminal device 110 as shown in Fig. 1. Additionally or alternatively, the method 200 can be implemented at other devices shown in Fig. 1. In some other embodiments, the method 200 may be implemented at devices not shown in Fig. 1. Further, it is to be understood that the method 200 may include additional blocks not shown and/or may omit some blocks as shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard. For the purpose of discussion, the method 200 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 with reference to Fig. 1.

At block 210, the terminal device 110 determines whether a PDCCH transmission is received from a network device in a first search space, where a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration of the terminal device 110.

In some embodiments, the network device may correspond to an access network device serving the terminal device 110. For example, the network device may correspond to the NTN device 120 when the NTN device 120 functions as an access network device serving the terminal device 110. Alternatively, the network device may correspond to the ground station 130 as shown in Fig. 1 when the ground station 130 functions as an access network device serving the terminal device 110 and the NTN device 120 functions as a transmission relay node between the ground station 130 and the terminal device 110 in a transparent manner. Alternatively, the network device may correspond to an aggregation of the NTN device 120 and the ground station 130 when the NTN device 120 and the ground station 130 corporately function as an access network device serving the terminal device 110.

In some embodiments, the positioning measurements may refer to GNSS measurements, multi-RTT positioning measurements, OTDOA positioning measurements or other 3GPP-based positioning measurements. As used herein, the expression “a PDCCH transmission received by a terminal device” means that the PDCCH transmission contains a DCI which is addressed to at least the terminal device.

If the PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, the method 200 proceeds to block 220. At block 220, the terminal device 110 performs at least one positioning measurement in a first measurement gap. If no PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, the method 200 proceeds to block 230. At block 230, the terminal device 110 performs the at least one positioning measurement in a second measurement gap. In this way, the flexibility of the positioning measurement of the terminal device 110 may be enhanced.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive, from the network device, a configuration of the first measurement gap and a configuration of the second measurement gap. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive, from the network device, an indication of conditions for at least one positioning measurement in the second measurement gap and conditions for at least one positioning measurement in the first measurement gap. In this way, both the terminal device 110 and the network device may have a common understanding of when the positioning measurements of the terminal device 110 are to be performed. Thus, communication reliability may be improved.

For example, when the terminal device 110 is configured with an autonomous gap for positioning measurements, the network device may provide additional information on suitable location (s) for the aperiodic measurement gap (s) . The terminal device 110 may be configured with at least two types of gaps for the autonomous positioning measurement operation of the terminal device 110.

In some embodiments, when the terminal device 110 is configured with the first type of measurement gap, the positioning measurement gap may occur at a (fixed) time offset location from the positioning validity timer expiry moment. The expiry time may be known to both the terminal device 110 and the network device. For example, the terminal device 110 may report the expiry moment or the remaining expiry duration to the network device. In some embodiments, the network device may define the time offset with reference to the positioning validity timer expiry moment. In some embodiments, if the first type of measurement gap overlaps with the search space, the terminal device 110 will not monitor PDCCH transmissions in the search space.

In some embodiments, when the terminal device 110 is configured with the second type of measurement gap, the positioning measurement gap may be located at the start of or subsequent to a configured (search space) gap that happens just prior to the positioning validity timer expiry moment. This enables the terminal device 110 to initiate the positioning measurement during the configured gap between search spaces and thus reduce the potential overlapping between the positioning measurements and the active PDCCH monitoring.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may be configured to decide to use the first type of measurement gap or the second type of measurement gap depending on whether the configured (search space) gap prior to the positioning measurement validity timer is available or not for positioning measurements. If a PDCCH transmission is received in the search space before the configured gap, the terminal device 110 may need to complete the PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission scheduled by the received PDCCH transmission. The PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission may overlap with the configured search space gap, and the terminal device 110 may thus have only a short gap available for positioning measurements. In such case, the terminal device 110 may make use of the first type of measurement gap which might overlap with the subsequent search space (i.e., the second search space after the configured gap) .

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the gap configurations for positioning measurements will be described in detail below with reference to Figs. 3A-3F. Figs. 3A-3F illustrate example block diagrams illustrating gap configurations for positioning measurements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the gap configurations in Figs. 3A-3F will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. The gap configurations in Figs. 3A-3F are for illustration purpose only without suggesting any limitations. Other gap configurations are also possible.

Fig. 3A illustrates an example of a gap configuration 300A for positioning measurements in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 3A, the terminal device 110 may determine or be configured with search spaces 311, 312 and 313 for monitoring potential PDCCH transmissions. The numbers and distributions of search spaces in Fig. 3A are for illustration purpose only without suggesting any limitations. Other search space distributions or a greater or less number of search spaces are also possible.

Gaps may be configured between the neighboring search spaces for transmissions or receptions scheduled by the potential PDCCH transmission in the search spaces. For example, a configured gap 330 may be located between the search spaces 311 and 312. The validity of positioning information of the terminal device 110 may expire at the time point 320. In other words, the measurement validity duration expires at the time point 320. The configured gap 330 may be located prior to the time point 320. As shown in Fig. 3A, the terminal device 110 may receive a valid PDCCH transmission in the search space 311. The terminal device 110 may perform at least one positioning measurement in a first type of measurement gap 351.

In some embodiments, a time domain location of the first measurement gap may be determined based on a time point that is offset from the expiry of the measurement validity duration. For example, the first type of measurement gap 351 may be offset from the time point 320 at which the validity of positioning information of the terminal device 110 expires.

In some embodiments, an end of the first measurement gap may be located at the time point 320. Alternatively, an end of the first measurement gap may be located prior to the time point 320. In this way, the terminal device 110 may obtain updated positioning information prior to the expiry of the measurement validity duration. Thus, power consumption of the terminal device may be reduced and communication efficiency may be improved.

In some embodiments, the time point 320 may be offset from the expiry of the measurement validity duration by a fixed time offset. For example, the first type of measurement gap 351 may be offset from the expiry of the measurement validity duration by a fixed time offset 340. Thus, the first type of measurement gap 351 may be related to a fixed gap location for the positioning measurements.

In some embodiments, the time point 320 may be subsequent to a completion of a transmission or reception scheduled by the received PDCCH transmission. For example, the first type of measurement gap 351 may be after the completion of a transmission or reception scheduled by the PDCCH transmission received in the search space 311. In some embodiments, a start of the first measurement gap may be subsequent to a completion of a transmission or reception scheduled by the received PDCCH transmission. For example, a start of the first type of measurement gap 351 may be after the completion of a transmission or reception scheduled by the PDCCH transmission received in the search space 311. In this way, the gap for the positioning measurements would not affect the scheduled transmissions or receptions. Thus, the reliability of the communication may be improved.

In the example gap configuration 300A, the first type of measurement gap 351 may fully overlap with the search space 312. Thus, the terminal device 110 would not monitor PDCCH transmissions in the search space 312.

Fig. 3B illustrates an example of a gap configuration 300B for positioning measurements in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals are used to denote the elements or components described in Fig. 3B having the same operations as the elements or components described in Fig. 3A, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in Fig. 3B, no PDCCH transmission is received in the search space 311. The terminal device 110 may perform at least one positioning measurement in a second type of measurement gap 352.

In some embodiments, a time domain location of the second measurement gap may be determined based on the configured gap. In some embodiments, the second measurement gap may be located at a start of the configured gap. Alternatively, the second measurement gap may be located subsequent to a start of the configured gap. For example, when no PDCCH transmission is received in the search space 311, i.e., no transmissions or receptions are scheduled in the configured gap 352, the second type of measurement gap 352 may be located at or subsequent to a start of the configured gap 352, i.e., at or subsequent to an end of the search space 311. In other words, the configured gap 352 may be implicitly released for NTN transmissions and thus may be available for positioning measurements. In this way, the terminal device 110 may make use of the configured gap between the search spaces if they are available for positioning measurements. Thus, communication efficiency may be improved.

In the example gap configuration 300B, the second type of measurement gap 352 may not overlap with the search space 312. For example the length of the measurement gap 352 may be equal to or shorter than the configured gap 330 and the measurement gap 352 may have been completed prior to the search space 312. Thus, the terminal device 110 may monitor PDCCH transmissions in the search space 312. Correspondingly, the network device may schedule PDCCH transmissions in the search space 312 if needed.

Fig. 3C illustrates an example of a gap configuration 300C for positioning measurements in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals are used to denote the elements or components described in Fig. 3C having the same operations as the elements or components described in Figs. 3A-3B, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. As shown in Fig. 3C, at least a portion of the second type of measurement gap 352 may overlap with the search space 312. For example the duration of the measurement gap 352 may be longer than the configured gap 330 and an end of the measurement gap 352 may be after a start of the search space 312.

For example, the terminal device 110 may check if the configured gap 330 between the first search space 351 and the second search space 352 is shorter than the duration of the measurement gap 352. If that is the case, e.g., if the configured gap 330 is x%of the duration of the measurement gap 352, the terminal device 110 may be allowed to start the positioning measurement right after the first search space 351 and then finish the (100-x) %of the positioning measurement in the first portion of the second search space 352. For example, if the terminal device 110 can complete 90 %of the positioning measurement in the configured gap 330, the terminal device 110 may perform the remaining 10%of the positioning measurement in the first portion of the next search space 352 and thus skip the monitoring of the first portion of the next search space 352.

In some embodiments, if at least a portion of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, the terminal device 110 may skip monitoring the second search space. For example, a first portion 312-1 of the search space 312 may overlap with the measurement gap 352 and the terminal device 110 may skip monitoring the search space 312. Correspondingly, the network device may not schedule PDCCH transmissions in the search space 312. In some embodiments, this may also applies to the gap configuration 300A in Fig. 3A. For example, assuming the measurement gap 351 overlaps with only a portion of the search space 312, the terminal device 110 may skip monitoring the search space 312. In this way, a mechanism for PDCCH transmissions when the measurement gap conflicts with the search space is defined. The transmission reliability may be improved.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive, from the network device, an indication of skipping monitoring a search space when at least a portion of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap. In this way, the terminal device may have a common understanding with the network device that there is no PDCCH transmission in partially-overlapping search spaces. Thus, power consumption of the terminal device may be reduced.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit, to the network device, an indication of not having a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in a portion of the search space. In this way, communication reliability may be improved.

In some embodiments, if a portion of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, the terminal device 110 may monitor a non-overlapping portion of the second search space. For example, only the first portion 312-1 overlaps with the measurement gap 352 and a second portion 312-2 of the search space 312 may not overlap with the measurement gap 352. The terminal device 110 may monitor the second portion 312-2 of the search space 312. In some embodiments, this may also apply to the gap configuration 300A in Fig. 3A. For example, assuming the measurement gap 351 overlaps with only a portion of the search space 312, the terminal device 110 may monitor a non-overlapping portion of the search space 312.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive, from the network device, an indication of monitoring a non-overlapping portion of a search space when a portion of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap. In this way, the terminal device may have a common understanding with the network device that there may be potential PDCCH transmissions in a non-overlapping portion of a partially-overlapping search space. Thus, communication efficiency may be improved.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit, to the network device, an indication of a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in a portion of the search space. In this way, both communication reliability and communication efficiency may be improved.

In some embodiments, if no more than a first ratio of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, the terminal device 110 may monitor a non-overlapping portion of the second search space. Based on determining that more than the first ratio of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, the terminal device 110 may skip monitoring the second search space.

For example, if the first portion 312-1 overlapping with the measurement gap 352 is no more than a first ratio, the terminal device 110 may monitor the second portion 312-2 of the search space 312. If the first portion 312-1 overlapping with the measurement gap 352 is more than the first ratio, the terminal device 110 may skip monitoring the search space 312. The first ratio may be predefined or preconfigured. In some embodiments, this may also apply to the gap configuration 300A in Fig. 3A. For example, assuming the measurement gap 351 overlaps with no more than a first portion of the search space 312, the terminal device 110 may monitor a non-overlapping portion of the search space 312. Assuming the measurement gap 351 overlaps with more than a first portion of the search space 312, the terminal device 110 may skip monitoring the search space 312.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive, from the network device, an indication of monitoring a non-overlapping portion of a search space when no more than the first ratio of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap. In this way, the terminal device may have a common understanding with the network device that there may be potential PDCCH transmissions in a non-overlapping portion of a partially-overlapping search space if the overlapping portion is no more than a first ratio of the search space. Thus, both communication reliability and communication efficiency may be improved.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit, to the network device, an indication of a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in no less than a second ratio of the search space. A sum of the first ratio and the second ratio may be one. In this way, both communication reliability and communication efficiency may be improved. Although expressed herein as ratios, it will be understood that the first ratio and/or the second ratio may also correspond to a fraction, a percentage, and/or another form of expressing proportion.

Fig. 3D illustrates an example of a gap configuration 300D for positioning measurements in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals are used to denote the elements or components described in Fig. 3D having the same operations as the elements or components described in Figs. 3A-3C, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. As shown in Fig. 3D, the terminal device 110 may receive a PDCCH transmission in the search space 311. The first type of measurement gap 351 which is offset from the time point 320 by a time offset 340 may overlap with the latter portion of the search space 312.

In some embodiments, the at least one positioning measurement may to be performed in the first measurement gap. If the first measurement gap overlaps with a latter portion of the second search space, the terminal device 110 may shift the first measurement gap forward in time and skip monitoring the second search space. In some embodiments, the forward-shifted first measurement gap may be located at a start of the second search space. Alternatively, the forward-shifted first measurement gap may be located subsequent to a start of the second search space.

For example, as shown in Fig. 3D, the first type of measurement gap 351 may be forward-shifted to the first type of measurement gap 351’ . The terminal device 110 may perform positioning measurements in the forward shifted first type of measurement gap 351’ and skip monitoring the search space 312. In other words, the terminal device 110 may decide to start the positioning measurements early if the network device indicated that it is not planning to transmit PDCCH transmissions in the remaining non-overlapping portion of a partially-overlapping search space. In some embodiments, the forward-shifted first type of measurement gap 351’ may be located at or subsequent to a start of the search space 312. In this way, the reliability of the positioning measurements may be improved.

Fig. 3E illustrates an example of a gap configuration 300E for positioning measurements in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals are used to denote the elements or components described in Fig. 3E having the same operations as the elements or components described in Figs. 3A-3D, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. As shown in Fig. 3E, the terminal device 110 may receive a PDCCH transmission in the search space 311. The first type of measurement gap 351 which is offset from the time point 320 by a time offset 340 may be subsequent to the search space 312. In some embodiments, the search space 312 may not overlap with the first type of measurement gap 351 and may be monitored by the terminal device 110.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission. The at least one positioning measurement may be to be performed in the first measurement gap. If the first measurement gap is subsequent to the second search space, the terminal device 110 may monitor the second search space. If a second PDCCH transmission is received in the second search space, the terminal device 110 may perform at least one of a transmission or a reception scheduled by the second PDCCH transmission subsequent to an end of the first measurement gap.

For example, as shown in Fig. 3E, the terminal device 110 may receive a PDCCH transmission in the search space 312. The terminal device 110 may perform positioning measurements in the first type of measurement gap 351 which is subsequent to the search space 312. Then, the terminal device 110 may perform at least one of a transmission or a reception scheduled by the PDCCH transmission received in the search space 312. In other words, if the first type of measurement gap occurs after the search space at the end of the configured gap, the end of the first type of measurement gap may indicate the start of the PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission scheduled by the PDCCH transmission received in the search space. In other words, an additional offset equal to the duration of the first type of measurement gap may be introduced between the PDCCH transmission and the scheduled transmission/reception. In this way, the terminal device 110 may obtain updated positioning information prior to the expiry of the measurement validity duration without affecting the communication with the network device. Thus, power consumption of the terminal device may be reduced and communication reliability may be improved.

Fig. 3F illustrates an example of a gap configuration 300F for positioning measurements in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals are used to denote the elements or components described in Fig. 3F having the same operations as the elements or components described in Figs. 3A-3E, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. As shown in Fig. 3F, the terminal device 110 may receive a PDCCH transmission in the search space 311. The first type of measurement gap 351 which is offset from the time point 320 by a time offset 340 may be subsequent to the search space 312. In some embodiments, a second portion 312-2 of the search space 312 may overlap with first type of measurement gap 351 and the first portion 312-1 of the search space 312 not overlapping with the first type of measurement gap 351 may be monitored by the terminal device 110.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission. The at least one positioning measurement may be to be performed in the first measurement gap. If the first measurement gap overlaps with a latter portion of the second search space, the terminal device 110 may monitor a non-overlapping portion of the second search space prior to the overlapping latter portion. If a second PDCCH transmission is received in the non-overlapping portion of the second search space, the terminal device 110 may perform at least one of a transmission or a reception scheduled by the second PDCCH transmission subsequent to an end of the first measurement gap.

For example, as shown in Fig. 3F, the terminal device 110 may monitor the non-overlapping portion 312-1 of the search space 312. For example, the network device may indicate that the remaining non-overlapping portions of search spaces may be used for PDCCH transmissions. The terminal device 110 may perform positioning measurements in the first type of measurement gap 351 which overlaps with the second portion 312-2 of the search space 312. If the terminal device 110 receives a PDCCH transmission in the non-overlapping portion 312-1, the terminal device 110 may perform at least one of a transmission or a reception scheduled by the PDCCH transmission received in the non-overlapping portion 312-1. In other words, if the first type of measurement gap 351 overlaps with a latter portion of the search space, the end of the first type of measurement gap may indicate the start of the PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission scheduled by the PDCCH transmission received in the non-overlapping portion of the search space. Thus, an additional offset equal to the duration of the first type of measurement gap may be introduced between the PDCCH transmission and the scheduled transmission/reception. In this way, the terminal device 110 may obtain updated positioning information prior to the expiry of the measurement validity duration without affecting the communication with the network device. Thus, power consumption of the terminal device may be reduced and communication reliability may be improved.

Reference is now made to Fig. 4, which shows an example method 400 implemented at a network device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the method 400 can be implemented at a device in a communication network, such as at least one of the NTN device 120 or the ground station 130 as shown in Fig. 1.

For example, the network device may correspond to the NTN device 120 when the NTN device 120 functions as an access network device serving the terminal device 110. Alternatively, the network device may correspond to the ground station 130 as shown in Fig. 1 when the ground station 130 functions as an access network device serving the terminal device 110 and the NTN device 120 functions as a transmission relay node between the ground station 130 and the terminal device 110 in a transparent manner. Alternatively, the network device may correspond to an aggregation of the NTN device 120 and the ground station 130 when the NTN device 120 and the ground station 130 corporately function as an access network device serving the terminal device 110. Additionally or alternatively, the method 400 can be implemented at other devices shown in Fig. 1. In some other embodiments, the method 400 may be implemented at devices not shown in Fig. 1. Further, it is to be understood that the method 400 may include additional blocks not shown and/or may omit some blocks as shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard. For the purpose of discussion, the method 400 will be described from the perspective of the NTN device 120 with reference to Fig. 1.

At block 410, the NTN device 120 determines whether a PDCCH transmission is transmitted to a terminal device 110 in a first search space, where a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration of the terminal device 110.

If the PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, the method 300 proceeds to block 420. At block 420, the NTN device 120 determines that at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device 110 is to be performed in a first measurement gap. If no PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, the method 300 proceeds to block 420. At block 420, the NTN device 120 determines that the at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device 110 is to be performed in a second measurement gap. In other words, the NTN device 120 may deduce whether the terminal device will use a second type of measurement gap or not depending on whether the NTN device 120 transmits a PDCCH transmission to the terminal device 110 in the first search space or not. In this way, the scheduling flexibility for the network device and the communication efficiency may thus be improved.

In some embodiments, a time domain location of the first measurement gap may be determined based on a time point that is offset from the expiry of the measurement validity duration. In some embodiments, a time domain location of the second measurement gap may be determined based on the configured gap. In some embodiments, the second measurement gap may be located at a start of the configured gap. Alternatively, the second measurement gap may be located subsequent to a start of the configured gap. In this way, a network-controlled and flexible gap configuration may be provided to make use of the configured gaps that are already available as part of the common channel configuration (i.e. for the PDCCH search space) instead of creating gaps explicitly for the positioning measurements.

In some embodiments, the time point may be subsequent to a completion of a transmission or reception scheduled by the received PDCCH transmission. In some embodiments, an end of the first measurement gap may be located at the time point. Alternatively, an end of the first measurement gap may be located prior to the time point. In some embodiments, the time point may be offset from the expiry of the measurement validity duration by a fixed time offset.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission. If at least a portion of the second search space overlaps with one of the second measurement gap and the first measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, the NTN device 120 may determine the second search space as unavailable for a second PDCCH transmission. When the NTN device 120 determines a search space as unavailable for a PDCCH transmission, the NTN device 120 would not transmit PDCCH transmissions to the terminal device in the search space. In this way, a mechanism for PDCCH transmissions when the measurement gap conflicts with the search space is defined.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission. If a portion of the second search space overlaps with one of the second measurement gap and the first measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, the NTN device 120 may determine a non-overlapping portion of the second search space as available for a second PDCCH transmission. In this way, a mechanism for PDCCH transmissions when the measurement gap conflicts with the search space is defined.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission. If no more than a first ratio of the second search space overlaps with one of the second measurement gap and the first measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, the NTN device 120 may determine a non-overlapping portion of the second search space as available for a second PDCCH transmission. If more than the first ratio of the second search space overlaps with the one of the second measurement gap and the first measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, the NTN device 120 may determine the second search space as unavailable for a second PDCCH transmission. In this way, a mechanism for PDCCH transmissions when the measurement gap conflicts with the search space is defined.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission. The at least one positioning measurement may be to be performed in the first measurement gap. If the first measurement gap overlaps with a latter portion of the second search space, the NTN device 120 may determine that the first measurement gap is to be forward-shifted and determine the second search space as unavailable for a second PDCCH transmission. In some embodiments, the forward-shifted first measurement gap may be located at or subsequent to a start of the second search space.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission. The at least one positioning measurement may be to be performed in the first measurement gap. If the first measurement gap is subsequent to the second search space, the NTN device 120 may determine the second search space as available for a second PDCCH transmission. If the second PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the second search space, the NTN device 120 may perform at least one of a transmission or a reception scheduled by the second PDCCH transmission subsequent to an end of the first measurement gap.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission. The at least one positioning measurement may be to be performed in the first measurement gap. If the first measurement gap overlaps with a latter portion of the second search space, the NTN device 120 may determine a non-overlapping portion of the second search space prior to the overlapping latter portion as available for a second PDCCH transmission. If the second PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the second search space, the NTN device 120 may perform at least one of a transmission or a reception scheduled by the second PDCCH transmission subsequent to an end of the first measurement gap. For example, the NTN device 120 may configure the terminal device 110 to monitor PDCCH transmissions in non-overlapping portions of a partially-overlapping search space. If a first measurement gap is determined for positioning measurements and the first measurement gap overlaps with a portion of the second search space, the NTN device 120 may start the PDSCH transmission or PUSCH reception after a first measurement gap if it transmitted a PDCCH transmission to the terminal device 110 in the non-overlapping portion of the second search space. In other words, an additional offset equal to the duration of the first measurement gap may be introduced between the PDCCH transmission and the scheduled transmission/reception.

In some embodiments, the NTN device 120 may indicate whether it intends to transmit PDCCH transmissions using the non-overlapping portions of search spaces or not when the search spaces partially overlap with the positioning measurement gap. The terminal device 110 may determine to monitor PDCCH transmissions or not in the non-overlapping portions of search spaces based on this parameter.

In some embodiments, the NTN device 120 may transmit, to the terminal device 110, an indication of skipping monitoring a search space when at least a portion of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap. In some embodiments, the NTN device 120 may receive, from the terminal device 110, an indication of not having a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in a portion of the search space. The indication transmitted to the terminal device 110 may be determined based on the indication received from the terminal device 110.

In some embodiments, the NTN device 120 may transmit, to the terminal device 110, an indication of monitoring a non-overlapping portion of a search space when a portion of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap. In some embodiments, the NTN device 120 may receive, from the terminal device 110, an indication of a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in a portion of the search space. The indication transmitted to the terminal device 110 may be determined based on the indication received from the terminal device 110.

In some embodiments, the NTN device 120 may transmit, to the terminal device 110, an indication of monitoring a non-overlapping portion of a search space when no more than the first ratio of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap. In some embodiments, the NTN device 120 may receive, from the terminal device 110, an indication of a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in no less than a second ratio of the search space. A sum of the first ratio and the second ratio may be one. The indication transmitted to the terminal device 110 may be determined based on the indication received from the terminal device 110. Although expressed herein as ratios, it will be understood that the first ratio and/or the second ratio may also correspond to a fraction, a percentage, and/or another form of expressing proportion.

In some embodiments, the NTN device 120 may transmit, to the terminal device 110, a configuration of the first measurement gap and a configuration of the second measurement gap. The NTN device 120 may transmit, to the terminal device 110, an indication of conditions for at least one positioning measurement in the second measurement gap and conditions for at least one positioning measurement in the first measurement gap.

In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 200 (for example, the terminal device 110) may comprise means for performing the respective steps of the method 200. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for determining whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is received from a network device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration; means for based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, performing at least one positioning measurement in a first measurement gap; and means for based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, performing the at least one positioning measurement in a second measurement gap.

In some embodiments, a time domain location of the first measurement gap may be determined based on a time point that is offset from the expiry of the measurement validity duration. In some embodiments, a time domain location of the second measurement gap may be determined based on the configured gap. In some embodiments, the second measurement gap may be located at or subsequent to a start of the configured gap.

In some embodiments, the time point may be subsequent to a completion of a transmission or reception scheduled by the received PDCCH transmission. In some embodiments, an end of the first measurement gap may be located at or prior to the time point. In some embodiments, the time point may be offset from the expiry of the measurement validity duration by a fixed time offset.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for based on determining that at least a portion of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, skipping monitoring the second search space.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for based on determining that a portion of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, monitoring a non-overlapping portion of the second search space.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for based on determining that no more than a first ratio of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, monitoring a non-overlapping portion of the second search space; and means for based on determining that more than the first ratio of the second search space overlaps with the one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, skipping monitoring the second search space.

In some embodiments, the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed in the first measurement gap, and the apparatus may further comprise: means for based on determining that the first measurement gap overlaps with a latter portion of the second search space, shifting the first measurement gap forward in time; and means for skipping monitoring the second search space.

In some embodiments, the forward-shifted first measurement gap may be located at or subsequent to a start of the second search space.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission, the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed in the first measurement gap, and the apparatus may further comprise: means for based on determining that the first measurement gap may be subsequent to the second search space, monitoring the second search space; and means for based on determining that a second PDCCH transmission is received in the second search space, performing at least one of a transmission or a reception scheduled by the second PDCCH transmission subsequent to an end of the first measurement gap.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission, the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed in the first measurement gap, and the apparatus may further comprise: means for based on determining that the first measurement gap overlaps with a latter portion of the second search space, monitoring a non-overlapping portion of the second search space prior to the overlapping latter portion; and means for based on determining that a second PDCCH transmission is received in the non-overlapping portion of the second search space, performing at least one of a transmission or a reception scheduled by the second PDCCH transmission subsequent to an end of the first measurement gap.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for receiving, from the network device, an indication of skipping monitoring a search space when at least a portion of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for transmitting, to the network device, an indication of not having a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in a portion of the search space.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for receiving, from the network device, an indication of monitoring a non-overlapping portion of a search space when a portion of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for transmitting, to the network device, an indication of a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in a portion of the search space.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for receiving, from the network device, an indication of monitoring a non-overlapping portion of a search space when no more than the first ratio of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for transmitting, to the network device, an indication of a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in no less than a second ratio of the search space, wherein a sum of the first ratio and the second ratio may be one.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for receiving, from the network device, a configuration of the first measurement gap and a configuration of the second measurement gap; and means for receiving, from the network device, an indication of conditions for at least one positioning measurement in the second measurement gap and conditions for at least one positioning measurement in the first measurement gap.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of the method 200. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the performance of the apparatus.

In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 400 (for example, at least one of the NTN device 120 or the ground station 130) may comprise means for performing the respective steps of the method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for determining whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is transmitted to a terminal device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration of the terminal device; means for based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, determining that at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a first measurement gap; and means for based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, determining that the at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a second measurement gap.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission, and the apparatus may further comprise: means for based on determining that at least a portion of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, determining the second search space as unavailable for a second PDCCH transmission.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission, and the apparatus may further comprise: means for based on determining that a portion of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, determining a non-overlapping portion of the second search space as available for a second PDCCH transmission.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission, and the apparatus may further comprise: means for based on determining that no more than a first ratio of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, determining a non-overlapping portion of the second search space as available for a second PDCCH transmission; and means for based on determining that more than the first ratio of the second search space overlaps with the one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, determining the second search space as unavailable for a second PDCCH transmission.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission, the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed in the first measurement gap, and the apparatus may further comprise: means for based on determining that the first measurement gap overlaps with a latter portion of the second search space, determining that the first measurement gap is to be forward-shifted in time; and means for determining the second search space as unavailable for a second PDCCH transmission. In some embodiments, the forward-shifted first measurement gap may be located at or subsequent to a start of the second search space.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission, the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed in the first measurement gap, and the apparatus may further comprise: means for based on determining that the first measurement gap is subsequent to the second search space, determining the second search space as available for a second PDCCH transmission; and means for based on determining that the second PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the second search space, performing at least one of a transmission or a reception scheduled by the second PDCCH transmission subsequent to an end of the first measurement gap.

In some embodiments, the PDCCH transmission may be a first PDCCH transmission, the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed in the first measurement gap, and the apparatus may further comprise: means for based on determining that the first measurement gap overlaps with a latter portion of the second search space, determining a non-overlapping portion of the second search space prior to the overlapping latter portion as available for a second PDCCH transmission; and means for based on determining that the second PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the non-overlapping portion of the second search space, performing at least one of a transmission or a reception scheduled by the second PDCCH transmission subsequent to an end of the first measurement gap.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication of skipping monitoring a search space when at least a portion of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for receiving, from the terminal device, an indication of not having a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in a portion of the search space.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication of monitoring a non-overlapping portion of a search space when a portion of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for receiving, from the terminal device, an indication of a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in a portion of the search space.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication of monitoring a non-overlapping portion of a search space when no more than the first ratio of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for receiving, from the terminal device, an indication of a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in no less than a second ratio of the search space, wherein a sum of the first ratio and the second ratio is one.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for transmitting, to the terminal device, a configuration of the first measurement gap and a configuration of the second measurement gap; and means for transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication of conditions for at least one positioning measurement in the second measurement gap and conditions for at least one positioning measurement in the first measurement gap.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of the method 400. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the performance of the apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a simplified block diagram of a device 500 that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 500 may be provided to implement the communication device, for example the terminal device 110, the NTN device 120, the ground station 130 and the data network 140 as shown in Fig. 1. As shown, the device 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 520 coupled to the processor 510, and one or more communication modules 540 coupled to the processor 510.

The communication module 540 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 540 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements.

The processor 510 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 500 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

The memory 520 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 524, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM) , a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD) , a digital video disk (DVD) , and other magnetic storage and/or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

A computer program 530 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 510. The program 530 may be stored in the ROM 524. The processor 510 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 530 into the RAM 522.

The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 530 so that the device 500 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to Figs. 2-4. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

In some embodiments, the program 530 may be tangibly contained in a computer readable medium which may be included in the device 500 (such as in the memory 520) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 500. The device 500 may load the program 530 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 522 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any types of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like. Fig. 6 shows an example of the computer readable medium 600 in form of CD or DVD. The computer readable medium has the program 530 stored thereon.

Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to carry out the methods as described above with reference to Figs. 2-4. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM) , a read-only memory (ROM) , an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) , an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) , an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The term “non-transitory, ” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs.ROM) .

Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

A terminal device comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to:

determine whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is received from a network device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration;

based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, perform at least one positioning measurement in a first measurement gap; and

based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, perform the at least one positioning measurement in a second measurement gap.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein a time domain location of the first measurement gap is determined based on a time point that is offset from the expiry of the measurement validity duration, and a time domain location of the second measurement gap is determined based on the configured gap.
The terminal device of claim 2, wherein the second measurement gap is located at or subsequent to a start of the configured gap.
The terminal device of claim 2 or 3, wherein the time point is subsequent to a completion of a transmission or reception scheduled by the received PDCCH transmission.
The terminal device of any of claims 2-4, wherein an end of the first measurement gap is located at or prior to the time point.
The terminal device of any of claims 2-5, wherein the time point is offset from the expiry of the measurement validity duration by a fixed time offset.
The terminal device of any of claims 1-6, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

based on determining that at least a portion of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, skip monitoring the second search space.
The terminal device of any of claims 1-6, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

based on determining that a portion of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, monitor a non-overlapping portion of the second search space.
The terminal device of any of claims 1-6, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

based on determining that no more than a first ratio of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, monitor a non-overlapping portion of the second search space; and

based on determining that more than the first ratio of the second search space overlaps with the one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, skip monitoring the second search space.
The terminal device of any of claims 1-7, wherein the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed in the first measurement gap, and wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

based on determining that the first measurement gap overlaps with a latter portion of the second search space, shift the first measurement gap forward in time; and

skip monitoring the second search space.
The terminal device of claim 10, wherein the forward-shifted first measurement gap is located at or subsequent to a start of the second search space.
The terminal device of any of claims 1-11, wherein the PDCCH transmission is a first PDCCH transmission, the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed in the first measurement gap, and wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

based on determining that the first measurement gap is subsequent to the second search space, monitor the second search space; and

based on determining that a second PDCCH transmission is received in the second search space, perform at least one of a transmission or a reception scheduled by the second PDCCH transmission subsequent to an end of the first measurement gap.
The terminal device of any of claims 1-6, 8-9 and 12, wherein the PDCCH transmission is a first PDCCH transmission, the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed in the first measurement gap, and wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

based on determining that the first measurement gap overlaps with a latter portion of the second search space, monitor a non-overlapping portion of the second search space prior to the overlapping latter portion; and

based on determining that a second PDCCH transmission is received in the non-overlapping portion of the second search space, perform at least one of a transmission or a reception scheduled by the second PDCCH transmission subsequent to an end of the first measurement gap.
The terminal device of any of claims 1-7, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

receive, from the network device, an indication of skipping monitoring a search space when at least a portion of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap.
The terminal device of claim 14, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

transmit, to the network device, an indication of not having a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in a portion of the search space.
The terminal device of any of claims 1-6 and 8, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

receive, from the network device, an indication of monitoring a non-overlapping portion of a search space when a portion of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap.
The terminal device of claim 16, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

transmit, to the network device, an indication of a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in a portion of the search space.
The terminal device of claim 8, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

receive, from the network device, an indication of monitoring a non-overlapping portion of a search space when no more than the first ratio of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap.
The terminal device of claim 18, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

transmit, to the network device, an indication of a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in no less than a second ratio of the search space, wherein a sum of the first ratio and the second ratio is one.
The terminal device of any of claims 1-19, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

receive, from the network device, a configuration of the first measurement gap and a configuration of the second measurement gap; and

receive, from the network device, an indication of conditions for at least one positioning measurement in the second measurement gap and conditions for at least one positioning measurement in the first measurement gap.
A network device comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device at least to:

determine whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is transmitted to a terminal device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration of the terminal device;

based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, determine that at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a first measurement gap; and

based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, determine that the at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a second measurement gap.
The network device of claim 21, wherein a time domain location of the first measurement gap is determined based on a time point that is offset from the expiry of the measurement validity duration, and a time domain location of the second measurement gap is determined based on the configured gap.
The network device of claim 22, wherein the second measurement gap is located at or subsequent to a start of the configured gap.
The network device of claim 22 or 23, wherein the time point is subsequent to a completion of a transmission or reception scheduled by the received PDCCH transmission.
The network device of any of claims 22-24, wherein an end of the first measurement gap is located at or prior to the time point.
The network device of any of claims 22-25, wherein the time point is offset from the expiry of the measurement validity duration by a fixed time offset.
The network device of any of claims 21-26, wherein the PDCCH transmission is a first PDCCH transmission, and the network device is further caused to:

based on determining that at least a portion of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, determine the second search space as unavailable for a second PDCCH transmission.
The network device of any of claims 21-26, wherein the PDCCH transmission is a first PDCCH transmission, and the network device is further caused to:

based on determining that a portion of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, determine a non-overlapping portion of the second search space as available for a second PDCCH transmission.
The network device of any of claims 21-26, wherein the PDCCH transmission is a first PDCCH transmission, and the network device is further caused to:

based on determining that no more than a first ratio of the second search space overlaps with one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, determine a non-overlapping portion of the second search space as available for a second PDCCH transmission; and

based on determining that more than the first ratio of the second search space overlaps with the one of the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap in which the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed, determine the second search space as unavailable for a second PDCCH transmission.
The network device of any of claims 21-27, wherein the PDCCH transmission is a first PDCCH transmission, the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed in the first measurement gap, and wherein the network device is further caused to:

based on determining that the first measurement gap overlaps with a latter portion of the second search space, determine that the first measurement gap is to be forward-shifted in time; and

determine the second search space as unavailable for a second PDCCH transmission.
The network device of claim 30, wherein the forward-shifted first measurement gap is located at or subsequent to a start of the second search space.
The network device of any of claims 21-31, wherein the PDCCH transmission is a first PDCCH transmission, the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed in the first measurement gap, and wherein the network device is further caused to:

based on determining that the first measurement gap is subsequent to the second search space, determine the second search space as available for a second PDCCH transmission; and

based on determining that the second PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the second search space, perform at least one of a transmission or a reception scheduled by the second PDCCH transmission subsequent to an end of the first measurement gap.
The network device of any of claims 21-26, 28-29 and 32, wherein the PDCCH transmission is a first PDCCH transmission, the at least one positioning measurement is to be performed in the first measurement gap, and wherein the network device is further caused to:

based on determining that the first measurement gap overlaps with a latter portion of the second search space, determine a non-overlapping portion of the second search space prior to the overlapping latter portion as available for a second PDCCH transmission; and

based on determining that the second PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the non-overlapping portion of the second search space, perform at least one of a transmission or a reception scheduled by the second PDCCH transmission subsequent to an end of the first measurement gap.
The network device of any of claims 21-27, wherein the network device is further caused to:

transmit, to the terminal device, an indication of skipping monitoring a search space when at least a portion of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap.
The network device of claim 34, wherein the network device is further caused to:

receive, from the terminal device, an indication of not having a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in a portion of the search space.
The network device of any of claims 21-26 and 28, wherein and the network device is further caused to:

transmit, to the terminal device, an indication of monitoring a non-overlapping portion of a search space when a portion of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap.
The network device of claim 36, wherein the network device is further caused to:

receive, from the terminal device, an indication of a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in a portion of the search space.
The network device of claim 28, wherein the network device is further caused to:

transmit, to the terminal device, an indication of monitoring a non-overlapping portion of a search space when no more than the first ratio of the search space overlaps with at least one of the first measurement gap or the second measurement gap.
The network device of claim 38, wherein the network device is further caused to:

receive, from the terminal device, an indication of a capability of decoding a PDCCH transmission monitored in no less than a second ratio of the search space, wherein a sum of the first ratio and the second ratio is one.
The network device of any of claims 21-39, wherein the network device is further caused to:

transmit, to the terminal device, a configuration of the first measurement gap and a configuration of the second measurement gap; and

transmit, to the terminal device, an indication of conditions for at least one positioning measurement in the second measurement gap and conditions for at least one positioning measurement in the first measurement gap.
A method comprising:

determining, at a terminal device, whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is received from a network device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration;

based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, performing at least one positioning measurement in a first measurement gap; and

based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, performing the at least one positioning measurement in a second measurement gap.
A method comprising:

determining, at a network device, whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is transmitted to a terminal device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration of the terminal device;

based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, determining that at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a first measurement gap; and

based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, determining that the at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a second measurement gap.
An apparatus, comprising:

means for determining whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is received from a network device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration;

means for based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, performing at least one positioning measurement in a first measurement gap; and

means for based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is received in the first search space, performing the at least one positioning measurement in a second measurement gap.
An apparatus, comprising:

means for determining whether a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is transmitted to a terminal device in a first search space, wherein a configured gap between the first search space and a second search space is prior to expiry of a measurement validity duration of the terminal device;

means for based on determining that the PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, determining that at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a first measurement gap; and

means for based on determining that no PDCCH transmission is transmitted in the first search space, determining that the at least one positioning measurement of the terminal device is to be performed in a second measurement gap.
A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method of claim 41 or 42.