Terminal device, infrastructure equipment and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11698463-B2
Application number	US-201816763988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2018
Priority date	Nov 15, 2017
Publication date	Jul 11, 2023
Grant date	Jul 11, 2023

Abstract

A receiver circuitry configured to receive, from infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network, a signal comprising positioning information for allowing a spatial position of the terminal device to be determined using the positioning information and a predetermined positioning scheme associated with the positioning information, the positioning scheme comprising one or more of instructions and additional information for determining the position of the terminal device using the positioning information, wherein the positioning information is comprised within a system information block (SIB) of the received signal; and processing circuitry configured: to determine, based on a characteristic of the SIB, a temporal validity of the received positioning information, and to determine, at a time at which the received positioning information is temporally valid, the spatial position of the terminal device using the received positioning information and the predetermined positioning scheme.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A terminal device for use with a wireless telecommunications network, the terminal device comprising:
receiver circuitry configured to receive, from infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network, a signal comprising positioning assistance information for allowing a spatial position of the terminal device to be determined using the positioning assistance information and a predetermined positioning scheme associated with the positioning assistance information, the positioning scheme comprising one or more of instructions and additional information for determining the position of the terminal device using the positioning assistance information, wherein the positioning assistance information is comprised within a system information block (SIB) of the received signal; and
processing circuitry configured:
to determine a characteristic of the SIB and a temporal validity of the received positioning assistance information, and
to determine, at a time at which the received positioning assistance information is temporally valid, the spatial position of the terminal device using the received positioning assistance information and the predetermined positioning scheme,
wherein the positioning assistance information is one of a plurality of different types of positioning assistance information,
wherein each said type of positioning assistance information is associated with a respective temporal validity, and
wherein the characteristic of the SIB of the received signal is the type of positioning assistance information, and the type of the positioning assistance information is associated with a time corresponding to the respective temporal validity for determining the temporal validity of the positioning assistance information of the type to be used with the predetermined positioning scheme in determining the spatial position of the terminal device.

2. A terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein:
each said type of positioning assistance information being for determining the spatial position of the terminal device using a respective positioning scheme, the positioning scheme of each type of positioning assistance information comprising one or more of instructions and additional information for determining the position of the terminal device using that type of positioning assistance information;
the SIB of the received signal is one of a plurality of SIBs receivable by the receiver circuitry, each of the plurality of receivable SIBs comprising one or more of the plurality of types of positioning assistance information each of which are associated with the same temporal validity; and
the characteristic of the SIB of the received signal includes an identifier which distinguishes the SIB of the received signal from each of the other receivable SIBs.

3. A terminal device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the positioning assistance information is associated with a respective geographical region over which the positioning assistance information is valid; and
each of the plurality of receivable SIBs comprises one or more of the plurality of types of positioning assistance information plurality of which are associated with the same geographical region.

4. A terminal device according to claim 2 , wherein the identifier which distinguishes the SIB of the received signal from each of the other receivable SIBs is a number indicative of a type of the SIB of the received signal.

5. A terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the SIB of the received signal comprises each of a plurality of types of positioning assistance information, each said type of positioning assistance information being for determining a spatial position of the terminal device using a respective positioning scheme, the positioning scheme of each type of positioning assistance information comprising one or more of instructions and additional information for determining the position of the terminal device using that type of positioning assistance information, and each type of positioning assistance information being associated with respective data of the SIB indicating the time for determining the temporal validity positioning assistance information of that type.

6. A terminal device according to claim 5 , wherein:
the time for determining the temporal validity of the positioning assistance information of the type to be used with the predetermined positioning scheme in determining the spatial position of the terminal device is a time stamp indicating a transmission time of transmission of the SIB of the received signal; and
the processing circuitry is configured to determine the temporal validity of the positioning assistance information of the type to be used with the predetermined positioning scheme in determining the spatial position of the terminal device based on the time stamp and data indicative of a valid duration of the positioning assistance information of the type to be used with the predetermined positioning scheme in determining the spatial position of the terminal device.

7. A terminal device according to claim 5 , wherein the time for determining the temporal validity of the positioning assistance information of the type to be used with the predetermined positioning scheme in determining the spatial position of the terminal device is the time in the form of an expiry time of the validity of the positioning assistance information of the type to be used with the predetermined positioning scheme in determining the spatial position of the terminal device.

8. A terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the terminal device comprises a storage medium storing data indicative of a first geographical region over which the type of positioning assistance information to be used with the predetermined positioning scheme in determining the spatial position of the terminal device as received from the infrastructure equipment is valid; and
when the terminal device moves from a coverage area of the infrastructure equipment to another coverage area of other infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network:
the receiver circuitry is configured to receive, from the other infrastructure equipment, a signal indicative of a second geographical region over which the type of positioning assistance information to be used with the predetermined positioning scheme in determining the spatial position of the terminal device as received from the other infrastructure equipment is valid; and
the processing circuitry is configured:
to determine whether the first geographical region is different to the second geographical region;
when the first geographical region is different to the second geographical region, to control the receiver circuitry to receive, from the other infrastructure equipment, a signal comprising further positioning assistance information for allowing the spatial position of the terminal device to be determined using the further positioning assistance information and the predetermined positioning scheme.

9. A terminal device according to claim 8 , wherein the infrastructure equipment is configured:
to receive, from a data processing apparatus of the network, the positioning assistance information; and
to transmit, to the other infrastructure equipment, further positioning assistance information, the further positioning assistance information being based on the received positioning assistance information.

10. A terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the geographical region over which the type of positioning assistance information to be used with the predetermined positioning scheme in determining the spatial position of the terminal device as received from the infrastructu

Assignees

• Sony Corp
• Sony Mobile Communications Inc

Inventors

• Wei Yuxin
• Wakabayashi Hideji
• Berggren Anders
• Sharma Vivek
• Tsuda Shinichiro

Classifications

• G01S19/34

  Power consumption · CPC title

• H04W88/02

  Terminal devices · CPC title

• H04W64/00 Primary

  Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management · CPC title

• H04W4/20

  Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel · CPC title

• G01S19/05 Primary

  providing aiding data · CPC title