Communications devices, infrastructure equipment, location servers and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11985587-B2
Application number	US-201816954530-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2018
Priority date	Dec 18, 2017
Publication date	May 14, 2024
Grant date	May 14, 2024

Abstract

A communications device for use in a wireless communications system comprising an infrastructure equipment, a location server, a contents server and the communications device is provided. The communications device comprises transceiver circuitry and controller circuitry. The transceiver circuitry and controller circuitry are configured in combination to receive assistance information comprising a communication trigger from the location server via the infrastructure equipment, to estimate a current geographical location of the communications device, and to select, dependent on the current geographical location of the communications device and/or on the communication trigger, one of a plurality of wireless communications technologies to be used by the communications device for communication.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communications device for use in a wireless communications system comprising an infrastructure equipment, a location server and the communications device, the communications device comprising:
transceiver circuitry; and
controller circuitry configured in combination with the transceiver circuitry to:
request, using a first wireless communications technology and in a case that the communications device determines that a first communication trigger is satisfied, assistance information from the location server via the infrastructure equipment, wherein the first communication trigger is satisfied when the communications device has moved from outside of a building to a position inside the building;
receive the assistance information from the location server via the infrastructure equipment and in response to the request, wherein the assistance information includes a second communication trigger which is triggered with movement to a position within a first area inside the building, the first area including a point of interest (POI);
pre-emptively download and locally store in the communications device, in a case that the communications device determines the second communication trigger is satisfied, guide content relating to the POI;
receive, in a case that the communications device has moved to a position within a second area and closer to the POI, a beacon identifier via a second wireless communications technology from a device in a proximity of the POI in the second area without communication via the infrastructure equipment, wherein the second area is within the first area and the POI is in the second area;
estimate, based on the beacon identifier received from the device, a position of the communications device with respect to the POI;
determine whether a third communication trigger has been satisfied based on the position;
select, in a case that the communications device determines that the third communication trigger has been satisfied, a wireless communications technology to be used for communication while the communications device is in the proximity of the POI; and
output, in the case that the communications device determines that the third communication trigger has been satisfied, the guide content locally stored in the communications device.

2. The communications device according to claim 1 , wherein to request the assistance information, the controller circuitry is further configured in combination with the transceiver circuitry to
transmit an indication that the communications device requires the assistance information to the infrastructure equipment for transmission to the location server, or
transmit an indication of a target of the communications device to the infrastructure equipment for transmission to the location server.

3. The communications device according to claim 2 , wherein the target of the communications device is at least one of the building, the POI and an item.

4. The communications device according to claim 2 , wherein the indication that the communications device requires the assistance information comprises an on-demand system information request for the assistance information.

5. The communications device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller circuitry is further configured in combination with the transceiver circuitry to receive information relating to a target of the communications device from a contents server of the wireless communications system using the selected one of the plurality of wireless communications technologies.

6. The communications device according to claim 5 , wherein the assistance information comprises a pre-emptive trigger condition, the communications device being configured to receive the information relating to the target of the communications device from the contents server when the communications device detects that the pre-emptive trigger condition is satisfied.

7. The communications device according to claim 5 , wherein the information relating to the target of the communications device comprises at least one of a geographical location of the target, a URL of a website associated with the target, and an application associated with the target.

8. The communications device according to claim 1 , wherein the first communication trigger comprises one or more predetermined geographical boundaries over which the communications device is required to cross to reach a geographical location of a target of the communications device.

9. The communications device according to claim 1 , wherein the first communication trigger comprises one or more predetermined geographical areas within which the communications device is expected to have one or both of a coverage level of a wireless communications technology above a predetermined coverage threshold or a throughput above a predetermined throughput threshold.

10. The communications device according to claim 1 , wherein the first communication trigger comprises one or more predetermined radiofrequency fingerprints associated with a measurement of a cell of a wireless communications technology which has been performed by the communications device.

11. The communications device according to claim 1 , wherein the first communication trigger comprises one or more predetermined beacon identifiers which the communications device is configured to detect.

12. The communications device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller circuitry is configured to estimate the position without referring to the assistance information.

13. A communications method for a communications device used in a wireless communications system comprising an infrastructure equipment, a location server and the communications device, the communications method comprising:
requesting, using a first wireless communications technology and in a case that the communications device determines that a first communication trigger is satisfied, assistance information from the location server via the infrastructure equipment, wherein the first communication trigger is satisfied when the communications device has moved from outside of a building to a position inside the building;
receiving the assistance information from the location server via the infrastructure equipment and in response to the request, wherein the assistance information includes a second communication trigger which is triggered with movement to a position within a first area inside the building, the first area including a point of interest (POI);
pre-emptively downloading and locally storing in the communications device, in a case that the communications device determines the second communication trigger is satisfied, guide content relating to the POI;
receiving, in a case that the communications device has moved to a position within a second area and closer to the POI, a beacon identifier via a second wireless communications technology from a device in a proximity of the POI in the second area without communication via the infrastructure equipment, wherein the second area is within the first area and the POI is in the second area;
estimating, based on the beacon identifier received from the device, a position of the communications device with respect to the POI;
determining whether a third communication trigger has been satisfied based on the position;
selecting, in a case that the communications device determines that the third communication trigger has been satisfied, a wireless communications technology to be used for communication while the communications device is in the proximity of the POI; and
outputting, in the case that the communications device determines that the third communication tri

Assignees

• Sony Corp
• Sony Mobile Communications Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H04W48/16 Primary

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W4/021 Primary

  Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences · CPC title

• H04W4/024

  Guidance services · CPC title

• H04W48/18

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title

• H04W76/16

  Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer · CPC title