Contextual quality of service for mobile devices

Abstract

Techniques are provided for implementing contextual quality of service (QoS) for mobile services. An example method of generating an output based on a contextual quality of service includes obtaining, by a device module, an input; determining a context indicator based on the input; determining a quality of service based at least in part on the context indicator; and generating an output based at least in part on the input and the quality of service.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application No. 18 / 338.476, filed on June 21, 2023, entitled “CONTEXTUAL QUALITY OF SERVICE FOR MOBILE DEVICES,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 359,714, filed on July 8, 2022, entitled “CONTEXTUAL QUALITY OF SERVICE FOR MOBILEDEVICES,” both of which are assigned to the assignee of this application and are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates generally to the functionality of mobile devices and, in particular, to enabling contextual quality of service (QoS) for mobile services. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved over several generations, including first generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third generation (3G) high-speed data wireless service with Internet capabilities, fourth generation (4G) service (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax), fifth generation (5G) service, etc. There are many different types of wireless communication systems in use today, including cellular and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), global system for mobile access (GSM) TDMA variants, etc.

[0005] Electronic devices that can utilize such wireless communication systems have become almost ubiquitous in modern society. Some electronic devices (e.g., cameras, camcorders, digital cameras, cellular phones, smart phones, computers, televisions, game systems, etc.) utilize one or more sensors. For example, a smart phone may utilize an image sensor module to capture digital images, an audio module to record sounds, and a navigation module to determine the location. The wide range of capabilities of such electronic devices combined with communication networks may generate issues of personal privacy and copyright infringement. For example, such electronic devices may be used to record copyrighted materials, or obtain photos of unauthorized persons, and then publish the captured information in a public forum using a communication system. Systems and methods for protecting personal privacy may be beneficial.

[0006] Overview

[0007] An example method for generating output based on contextual quality of service according to the present disclosure includes: obtaining input through a device module; determining a context indicator based on the input; determining the quality of service based at least in part on the context indicator; and generating output based at least in part on the input and the quality of service.

[0008] An example method for providing contextual quality of service information according to the present disclosure includes: detecting contextual conditions associated with a user equipment; determining one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules based at least in part on the contextual conditions; and providing contextual quality of service information including the one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules to the user equipment.

[0009] An example method for operating a mobile device according to the present disclosure includes: determining an operating context for the mobile device based at least in part on a location of the mobile device, one or more preferences associated with a user of the mobile device, and context indicators detected by one or more modules in the mobile device; and enabling or disabling one or more capabilities of the mobile device based on the operating context.

[0010] The items and / or technologies described herein can provide one or more of the following capabilities and other capabilities not mentioned. Mobile devices (such as smart phones, WiFi devices, drones, robots, etc.) may include different modules configured to obtain and process various inputs (such as images, audio, and radio frequency signals). The quality of the output generated based on the input may change. For example, the resolution of the captured image may change, or the accuracy of the positioning estimate based on the received navigation signal may increase or decrease. These changes in quality of service (QoS) can be based on the current context associated with the mobile device. In an example, the mobile device can detect one or more context indicators when obtaining input. Quality of service rules can be associated with context indicators. The preferences of other users and operators can also affect quality of service rules. In operation, the quality of the output from the module can be based at least in part on the context indicators detected by the module. Other capabilities can be provided, and not every implementation according to the present disclosure must provide any of the capabilities discussed, let alone all capabilities. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 is a simplified diagram of an example wireless communication system.

[0013] Figure 2 is a block diagram of components of an example user equipment.

[0014] Figure 3 is a block diagram of components of an example transmit / receive point.

[0015] Figure 4 is a block diagram of the components of a server.

[0016] Figure 5 is a block diagram of example modules in user equipment.

[0017] Figure 6 is a block diagram of an example process for implementing context-based quality of service.

[0018] Figures 7A-7C is a diagram of an example use case for applying quality of service rules on an optical input.

[0019] Figure 8 is a diagram of an example use case for applying quality of service rules on audio input.

[0020] Fig. 9 is a diagram of an example use case with personal context indicators.

[0021] Fig. 10A is a diagram of an example use case for limiting the distribution of a confidential presentation.

[0022] Fig. 10Bis a diagram of an example use case for limiting the distribution of content in a virtual meeting.

[0023] Fig.11 is a diagram of an example use case for applying quality of service rules on navigation input.

[0024] Fig.12 is a block diagram for implementing context-based quality of service rules on a user equipment.

[0025] Fig.13 is an example data structure for implementing context-based quality of service rules.

[0026] Fig.14 is an example message flow diagram for providing contextual quality of service information to user equipment.

[0027] Fig.15 is a process flow diagram of an example method for providing contextual quality of service information.

[0028] Fig.16 is a process flow diagram of an example method for generating an output based at least in part on contextual quality of service information.

[0029] Fig.17 is a process flow diagram of an example method for enabling or disabling one or more capabilities of a mobile device.

[0030] Detailed Description

[0031] This article discusses the technology of contextual quality of service (QoS) for implementing mobile services. In general, the term contextual QoS may mean that the QoS of a module on a mobile device is automatically and dynamically adjusted based on the context without manual intervention from the end user. The context of a mobile device may be a dynamic measurement of the current activity of the end user, based on which the end user or stakeholders in the mobile ecosystem may want the mobile device to perform differently. Examples of context include, but are not limited to, time of day, location information (e.g., user is at a certain location / inside a geo-fence), end user activity (e.g., walking, driving, running, sleeping, on a phone call, etc.), applications executed on a mobile device, multimedia content being played on or near a mobile device, listening to a specific audio clip / song, etc., using a mobile phone camera to take a picture of a specific object, etc. The context may be based on environmental conditions and / or environmental triggers, such as detecting whether the mobile device is in a crowded area, in a geographical area of ​​a natural or man-made disaster, or in a certain private network, or certain WiFi access points, Bluetooth (BT) beacon coverage area, etc. QoS may be the quality of service provided by a module (e.g., hardware and / or software) or other services provided by a mobile device. In general, QoS adjustments result in different quality than normally expected, including disabling of certain services. For example, location service QoS adjustments may result in end-user applications receiving reduced positioning accuracy, incorrect location, or rejection of location estimates. Camera QoS adjustments may reduce picture quality (e.g., reduce resolution, jitter, watermark, etc.), or disable the camera from acquiring images. Audio QoS adjustments may degrade the quality of audio recording and / or playback (e.g., reduce sampling rate, limit audio bandwidth, clip frequency, etc.), or disable audio recording. Other context and QoS modifications may also be used.

[0032] In one example, operators of wireless local area networks (WLANs) and wireless wide area networks (WWANs) may establish contextual conditions to enable mobile devices (such as user equipment (UE)) to obtain contextual indicators associated with expected use cases. In general, contextual indicators may be associated with external inputs and / or device state information and QoS rules. For example, in a use case based on optical QoS, a museum owner may wish to limit the ability of visitors to obtain photos of artworks exhibited in the museum. Contextual conditions may include entering a geo-fence associated with a museum, obtaining an electronic museum ticket, scheduling a visit to a museum, detecting a WiFi network associated with a museum, or other actions indicating that a user can visually access artworks exhibited in a museum. In response to detecting a contextual condition, a mobile device may obtain (or a network server / other resource may provide) data including one or more contextual indicators. In this use case, a contextual indicator may include a data file to enable a mobile device to visually identify an exhibited artwork, and then apply QoS rules when an image of the artwork is obtained by the mobile device. The contextual indicator is configured to modify the QoS of the module that obtains the input. Optical-based context indicators are used for optical input, audio-based contexts are used for audio input, navigation-based context indicators are used for navigation input, communication-based context indicators are used for communication input, and the like. Hybrid context indicators may also be used. For example, audio-based contexts may be used to limit video recording capabilities. Other environmental factors, such as the presence of certain WiFi signals, may be used as context indicators and may affect the functionality of one or more modules in a mobile device. In a use case, when a user obtains an image through an optical module on a mobile device, the mobile device is configured to perform an image recognition process on the obtained image and determine whether there is a match with the context indicator received from the network. If a match is detected, the mobile device is configured to change the QoS of the obtained image. The image file obtained by the camera may be transformed. The resolution of the saved image may be at a reduced level (e.g., low resolution), portions of the image may be edited, the resulting image file may be watermarked (e.g., with digital rights management (DRM) features), and / or undergo other modifications to the quality of the obtained image. In one example, the mobile device may be prevented from obtaining an image. Other factors, such as user preferences / privileges and / or network operator configuration options may also affect the resulting QoS. For example, a museum may enable devices associated with donors or preferred members to obtain images of certain artworks at a first QoS, while non-affiliated museum visitors may be allowed to obtain images of the artworks at a second QoS. The visual-based contextual indicators in this use case are examples, not limitations, as contextual indicators and QoS rules may be associated with other modules and other inputs. Other module configurations may also be used.

[0033] The specification may refer to a sequence of actions to be performed by, for example, an element of a computing device. Each action described herein can be performed by a dedicated circuit (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. The sequence of actions described herein may be implemented in a non-transient computer-readable medium having stored thereon a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause an associated processor to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects described herein may be implemented in a number of different forms, all of which fall within the scope of the present disclosure, including the claimed subject matter.

[0034] As used herein, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not dedicated to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise specified. In general, such UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., mobile device, mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset tracking device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate on a wireless communication network. The UE can be mobile or can be stationary (e.g., at certain times) and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT", "client device", "wireless device", "subscriber equipment", "subscriber terminal", "subscriber station", "user terminal" or UT, "mobile terminal", "mobile station", "mobile device", or variations thereof. In general, the UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks (such as the Internet) and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a WiFi network (eg, based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), and the like.

[0035] Depending on the network in which the base station is deployed, the base station may operate according to one of several RATs when communicating with the UE. Examples of base stations include access points (APs), network nodes, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), or generalized Node Bs (gNodeBs, gNBs). In addition, in some systems, the base station may provide pure edge node signaling functions, while in other systems, the base station may provide additional control and / or network management functions.

[0036] The UE may be implemented by any of several types of devices, including but not limited to a printed circuit (PC) card, a compact flash device, an external or internal modem, a wireless or wired phone, a smart phone, a tablet device, a consumer asset tracking device, an asset tag, etc. The communication link by which the UE can send signals to the RAN is referred to as an uplink channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link by which the RAN can send signals to the UE is referred to as a downlink or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) may refer to an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0037] As used herein, depending on the context, the term "cell" or "sector" may correspond to one of multiple cells of a base station or to the base station itself. The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., on a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier to distinguish adjacent cells operating via the same or different carriers (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID)). In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types that may provide access to different types of devices (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types). In some examples, the term "cell" may refer to a portion of a geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) on which the logical entity operates.

[0038] Reference Figure 1, an example of a communication system 100 includes UE 105, UE 106, a radio access network (RAN) (here, fifth generation (5G) next generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN) 135), a 5G core network (5GC) 140, and a server 150. UE 105 and / or UE 106 may be, for example, an IoT device, a location tracker device, a cellular phone, a vehicle (e.g., a car, a truck, a bus, a ship, etc.), or other devices. A 5G network may also be referred to as a new radio (NR) network; NG-RAN 135 may be referred to as a 5G RAN or an NR RAN; and 5GC 140 may be referred to as an NG core network (NGC). Standardization of NG-RAN and 5GC is being conducted in the third generation partnership project (3GPP). Accordingly, NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 may follow current or future standards for 5G support from 3GPP. NG-RAN 135 may be another type of RAN, for example, a 3G RAN, a 4G long term evolution (LTE) RAN, etc. UE 106 may be similarly configured and coupled to UE 105 to send and / or receive signals to and / or from similar other entities in system 100, but for simplicity of the drawings, the UE 106 is not shown in FIG. Figure 1 105. Similarly, for simplicity, the discussion focuses on the UE 105. The communication system 100 can utilize information from a constellation 185 of space vehicles (SVs) 190, 191, 192, 193 of a satellite positioning system (SPS) (e.g., a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)), such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo, or BeiDou or some other local or regional SPS (such as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), or the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)). Additional components of the communication system 100 are described below. The communication system 100 may include additional or alternative components.

[0039] like Figure 1As shown in FIG. 1 , the NG-RAN 135 includes NR B nodes (gNBs) 110a, 110b and next generation evolved B nodes (ng-eNBs) 114, and the 5GC 140 includes an access and mobility management function (AMF) 115, a session management function (SMF) 117, a location management function (LMF) 120, and a gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 125. The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNBs 114 are communicatively coupled to each other, each configured to perform bidirectional wireless communication with the UE 105, and each communicatively coupled to the AMF 115 and configured to perform bidirectional communication with the AMF 115. The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNBs 114 may be referred to as base stations (BSs). The AMF 115, the SMF 117, the LMF 120, and the GMLC 125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and the GMLC is communicatively coupled to the external client 130. The SMF 117 may serve as an initial contact point for a service control function (SCF) (not shown) to create, control, and delete media sessions. A base station (such as gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) may be a macro cell (e.g., a high-power cellular base station), or a small cell (e.g., a low-power cellular base station), or an access point (e.g., a short-range base station configured to communicate with a short-range technology (such as WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), -Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, etc.). One or more BSs (e.g., one or more of gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) may be configured to communicate with UE 105 via multiple carriers. Each of gNB 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic area (e.g., a cellular cell). Each cellular cell may be divided into multiple sectors according to the base station antenna.

[0040] Figure 1A generalized explanation of the various components is provided, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each component may be repeated or omitted as desired. Specifically, although one UE 105 is illustrated, many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may be utilized in the communication system 100. Similarly, the communication system 100 may include a greater (or smaller) number of SVs (i.e., more or less than the four SVs 190-193 shown), gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNBs 114, AMFs 115, external clients 130, and / or other components. The illustrated connections connecting the various components in the communication system 100 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. In addition, the components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality.

[0041] Although Figure 1 A 5G-based network is illustrated, but similar network implementations and configurations may be used for other communication technologies, such as 3G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc. Implementations described herein (which are for 5G technologies and / or for one or more other communication technologies and / or protocols) may be used to transmit (or broadcast) directional synchronization signals, receive and measure directional signals at a UE (e.g., UE 105), and / or provide location assistance to UE 105 (via GMLC 125 or other location server), and / or calculate the location of UE 105 at a device with location capabilities (such as UE 105, gNB 110a, 110b, or LMF 120) based on measurement parameters received at UE 105 for such directional transmitted signals. The gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 125, the location management function (LMF) 120, the access and mobility management function (AMF) 115, the SMF 117, the ng-eNB (evolved B node) 114 and the gNB (g B node) 110a, 110b are examples and may be replaced by or include various other location server functionalities and / or base station functionalities, respectively, in various embodiments.

[0042] The system 100 is capable of wireless communication because the components of the system 100 can communicate with each other (at least sometimes using wireless connections), directly or indirectly, for example, via gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNBs 114, and / or 5GCs 140 (and / or one or more other devices not shown, such as one or more other base transceiver stations). For indirect communication, the communication may be modified during transmission from one entity to another, such as changing header information of a data packet, changing the format, etc. The UE 105 may include multiple UEs and may be a mobile wireless communication device, but may communicate wirelessly and via a wired connection. The UE 105 may be any of a variety of devices, such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, a vehicle-based device, etc., but these are merely examples because the UE 105 need not be any of these configurations and other configurations of the UE may be used. Other UEs may include wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart jewelry, smart glasses, or head-mounted devices, etc.). Other UEs may also be used, whether currently existing or developed in the future. In addition, other wireless devices (whether mobile or not) may be implemented within the system 100 and may communicate with each other and / or with the UE 105, the gNBs 110a, 110b, the ng-eNBs 114, the 5GC 140, and / or the external clients 130. For example, such other devices may include Internet of Things (IoT) devices, medical devices, home entertainment and / or automation devices, etc. The 5GC 140 may communicate with the external client 130 (e.g., a computer system), for example, to allow the external client 130 (e.g., via the GMLC 125) to request and / or receive location information about the UE 105.

[0043] The UE 105 or other device may be configured to communicate in various networks and / or for various purposes and / or using various technologies (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi communication, multi-frequency Wi-Fi communication, satellite positioning, one or more types of communication (e.g., GSM (Global System for Mobile), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), V2X (Vehicle to Vehicle, e.g., V2P (vehicle to pedestrian), V2I (vehicle to infrastructure), V2V (vehicle to vehicle), etc.), IEEE 802.11p, etc.). V2X communication can be cellular (cellular-V2X (C-V2X)) and / or WiFi (e.g., DSRC (dedicated short range connection)). The system 100 can support operation on multiple carriers (waveform signals of different frequencies). A multi-carrier transmitter can transmit modulated signals on multiple carriers simultaneously. Each modulated signal can be a code division multiple access (CDMA) signal, a time division multiple access (TDMA) signal, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) signal, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) signal, etc. Each modulated signal can be sent on a different carrier and can carry a pilot, overhead information, data, etc. UE 105, 106 can communicate with each other through UE-to-UE sidelink (SL) communication by transmitting on one or more sidelink channels such as a physical sidelink synchronization channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), or a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH).

[0044] UE 105 may include and / or may be referred to as a device, a mobile device, a wireless device, a mobile terminal, a terminal, a mobile station (MS), a terminal (SET) enabled with secure user plane location (SUPL), or some other name. In addition, UE 105 may correspond to a cellular phone, a smart phone, a laptop, a tablet device, a PDA, a consumer asset tracking device, a navigation device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a health monitor, a security system, a smart city sensor, a smart meter, a wearable tracker, or some other portable or mobile device. Typically, although not necessarily, UE 105 may support the use of one or more radio access technologies (RATs) (such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 WiFi (also known as Wi-Fi), (BT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140), etc.) for wireless communication. UE 105 may support wireless communication using a wireless local area network (WLAN), which may use, for example, a digital subscriber line (DSL) or packet cable to connect to other networks (e.g., the Internet). Using one or more of these RATs may allow UE 105 (e.g., via elements ( Figure 1 125), or possibly via GMLC 125) to communicate with external client 130 and / or allow external client 130 to receive location information about UE 105 (e.g., via GMLC 125).

[0045] UE 105 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network, where users may employ audio, video, and / or data I / O (input / output) devices, and / or body sensors and separate wired or wireless modems. The estimate of the location of UE 105 may be referred to as a location, location estimate, location fix, fix, position fix, position estimate, or position fix, and may be geographic, providing location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) about UE 105, which may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., height above sea level; height above or depth below ground level, floor level, or basement level). Alternatively, the location of UE 105 may be expressed as a municipal location (e.g., expressed as a postal address or a designation of a point or smaller area in a building (such as a specific room or floor)). The location of UE 105 may be expressed as an area or volume (geographically or municipally defined) within which UE 105 is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of the UE 105 may be expressed as a relative location including, for example, a distance and direction from a known location. The relative location may be expressed as relative coordinates (e.g., X, Y (and Z) coordinates) defined relative to a certain origin at a known location, which may be defined, for example, geographically, in municipal form, or with reference to a point, area, or volume indicated, for example, on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, the use of the term location may include any of these variants unless otherwise indicated. When calculating the location of the UE, local x, y, and possibly z coordinates are typically solved, and then (if necessary) the local coordinates are converted into absolute coordinates (e.g., with respect to latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level).

[0046] UE 105 may be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of a variety of technologies. UE 105 may be configured to be indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. D2D P2P links may use any appropriate D2D radio access technology (RAT) such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), etc.). One or more UEs in a group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be within a geographic coverage area of ​​a transmit / receive point (TRP), such as one or more of gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114. Other UEs in the group may be outside such geographic coverage area or may be unable to receive transmissions from the base station for other reasons. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, in which each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without involving a TRP. One or more UEs in a group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be within a geographic coverage area of ​​a TRP. Other UEs in the group may be outside such geographic coverage area or may be unable to receive transmissions from the base station for other reasons. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, in which each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without involving a TRP.

[0047] Figure 1 The base stations (BS) in the NG-RAN 135 shown in FIG. 1 include NR B nodes (referred to as gNBs 110a and 110b). Each pair of gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN 135 may be connected to each other via one or more other gNBs. Access to the 5G network is provided to the UE 105 via wireless communications between the UE 105 and one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b. The gNBs 110a, 110b may provide wireless communications access to the 5GC 140 on behalf of the UE 105 using 5G. Figure 1 , it is assumed that the serving gNB for UE 105 is gNB 110a, but another gNB (e.g., gNB 110b) may serve as the serving gNB if UE 105 moves to another location, or may serve as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 105.

[0048] Figure 1The base stations (BSs) in the NG-RAN 135 shown in FIG. 1 may include an ng-eNB 114 (also referred to as a next generation evolved Node B). The ng-eNB 114 may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN 135 (possibly via one or more other gNBs and / or one or more other ng-eNBs). The ng-eNB 114 may provide LTE wireless access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) wireless access to the UE 105. One or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b and / or the ng-eNB 114 may be configured to function as a positioning-only beacon, which may transmit signals to assist in determining the location of the UE 105, but may not be able to receive signals from the UE 105 or other UEs.

[0049] The gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or the ng-eNB 114 may each include one or more TRPs. For example, each sector within a cell of the BS may include a TRP, but multiple TRPs may share one or more components (e.g., a shared processor but with separate antennas). The system 100 may exclusively include macro TRPs, or the system 100 may have different types of TRPs, such as macro TRPs, pico TRPs, and / or femto TRPs. A macro TRP may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several thousand meters in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscriptions. A pico TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a pico cell) and may allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscriptions. A femto or home TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a femto cell) and may allow restricted access by terminals associated with the femto cell (e.g., terminals of users in a residence).

[0050] Each of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 may include a radio unit (RU), a distributed unit (DU), and a central unit (CU). For example, the gNB 110a includes a RU 111, a DU 112, and a CU 113. The RU 111, the DU 112, and the CU 113 divide the functionality of the gNB 110a. Although the gNB 110a is shown as having a single RU, a single DU, and a single CU, the gNB may include one or more RUs, one or more DUs, and / or one or more CUs. The interface between the CU 113 and the DU 112 is referred to as the F1 interface. The RU 111 is configured to perform digital front end (DFE) functions (e.g., analog-to-digital conversion, filtering, power amplification, transmission / reception) and digital beamforming, and includes a portion of the physical (PHY) layer. The RU 111 may perform DFE using massive multiple input / multiple output (MIMO) and may be integrated with one or more antennas of the gNB 110a. DU 112 hosts the radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical layers of gNB 110a. One DU can support one or more cells, and each cell is supported by one DU. The operation of DU 112 is controlled by CU 113. CU 113 is configured to perform functions for delivering user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, etc., although some functions are exclusively assigned to DU 112. CU 113 hosts the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocols of gNB 110a. UE 105 can communicate with CU 113 via RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, communicate with DU 112 via RLC, MAC, and PHY layers, and communicate with RU 111 via PHY layer.

[0051] As mentioned, although Figure 1 Nodes configured to communicate according to a 5G communication protocol are depicted, but nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols (such as, for example, an LTE protocol or an IEEE 802.11x protocol) may also be used. For example, in an evolved packet system (EPS) that provides LTE wireless access to UE 105, the RAN may include an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), which may include base stations including evolved Node Bs (eNBs). The core network for the EPS may include an evolved packet core (EPC). The EPS may include the E-UTRAN plus the EPC, where the E-UTRAN corresponds to the UE 105. Figure 1 NG-RAN 135 in and EPC corresponds to Figure 1 5GC 140 in.

[0052] The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 may communicate with the AMF 115; for positioning functionality, the AMF 115 communicates with the LMF 120. The AMF 115 may support mobility of the UE 105, including radio cell changes and handovers, and may participate in supporting signaling connections to the UE 105 and possibly data and voice bearers for the UE 105. The LMF 120 may communicate directly with the UE 105, or directly with the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114, for example, via wireless communications. The LMF 120 may support positioning of the UE 105 when the UE 105 accesses the NG-RAN 135, and may support various positioning procedures / methods, such as Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) (e.g., downlink (DL) OTDOA or uplink (UL) OTDOA), Round Trip Time (RTT), Multi-cell RTT, Real-time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), Angle of Arrival (AOA), Angle of Departure (AOD), and / or other positioning methods. The LMF 120 may process a location service request for the UE 105 received from, for example, the AMF 115 or the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 may be connected to the AMF 115 and / or the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 may be referred to by other names, such as a Location Manager (LM), a Location Function (LF), a Commercial LMF (CLMF), or a Value-Added LMF (VLMF). A node / system implementing LMF 120 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as an enhanced serving mobile location center (E-SMLC) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP). At least a portion of the positioning functionality (including the derivation of the location of UE 105) may be performed at UE 105 (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by UE 105 for signals transmitted by wireless nodes (such as gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114), and / or auxiliary data provided to UE 105 by LMF 120, for example). AMF 115 may serve as a control node for processing signaling between UE 105 and 5GC 140, and may provide QoS (quality of service) flow and session management. AMF 115 may support the mobility of UE 105 (including cell changes and handovers), and may participate in supporting signaling connections to UE 105.

[0053] The server 150 (e.g., a cloud server) is configured to obtain a location estimate for the UE 105 and provide it to the external client 130. The server 150 may, for example, be configured to run a microservice / service that obtains a location estimate for the UE 105. The server 150 may, for example, obtain a location estimate from (e.g., by sending a location request) the UE 105, one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b (e.g., via the RU 111, DU 112, CU 113), and / or the ng-eNB 114, and / or the LMF 120. As another example, the UE 105, one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b (e.g., via the RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113), and / or the LMF 120 may push the location estimate of the UE 105 to the server 150.

[0054] The GMLC 125 may support location requests for the UE 105 received from the external client 130 via the server 150, and may forward the location requests to the AMF 115 for forwarding by the AMF 115 to the LMF 120, or may forward the location requests directly to the LMF 120. A location response (e.g., containing a location estimate of the UE 105) from the LMF 120 may be returned to the GMLC 125 directly or via the AMF 115, and the GMLC 125 may then return the location response (e.g., containing the location estimate) to the external client 130 via the server 150. The GMLC 125 is shown as being connected to both the AMF 115 and the LMF 120, but may not be connected to either the AMF 115 or the LMF 120 in some implementations.

[0055] like Figure 1 As further explained in , LMF 120 may communicate with gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 using a new radio positioning protocol A (which may be referred to as NPPa or NRPPa), which may be defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of LTE Positioning Protocol A (LPPa) defined in 3GPP TS 36.455, wherein NRPPa messages are communicated between gNB 110a (or gNB 110b) and LMF 120, and / or between ng-eNB 114 and LMF 120 via AMF 115. Figure 1As further explained in 3GPP TS 36.355, the LMF 120 and the UE 105 may communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP), which may be defined in 3GPP TS 36.355. The LMF 120 and the UE 105 may additionally or alternatively communicate using a new radio positioning protocol (which may be referred to as NPP or NRPP), which may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LPP. Here, LPP and / or NPP messages may be communicated between the UE 105 and the LMF 120 via the AMF 115 and the serving gNB 110a, 110b or the serving ng-eNB 114 of the UE 105. For example, the LPP and / or NPP messages may be communicated between the LMF 120 and the AMF 115 using the 5G Location Services Application Protocol (LCS AP), and may be communicated between the AMF 115 and the UE 105 using the 5G Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol. The LPP and / or NPP protocols may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based positioning methods such as A-GNSS, RTK, OTDOA, and / or E-CID. The NRPPa protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using a network-based positioning method such as E-CID (e.g., in conjunction with measurements obtained by the gNB 110a, 110b, or ng-eNB 114) and / or may be used by the LMF 120 to obtain location-related information from the gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114, such as parameters defining directional SS transmissions from the gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. The LMF 120 may be co-located or integrated with the gNB or TRP, or may be located remotely from the gNB and / or TRP and configured to communicate directly or indirectly with the gNB and / or TRP.

[0056] Using UE-assisted positioning methods, UE 105 can obtain location measurements and send these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for use in calculating a location estimate of UE 105. For example, the location measurements can include one or more of received signal strength indication (RSSI), round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal time difference (RSTD), reference signal received power (RSRP), and / or reference signal received quality (RSRQ) of gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, and / or WLAN AP. The location measurements can additionally or alternatively include measurements of GNSS pseudoranges, code phases, and / or carrier phases of SVs 190-193.

[0057] Using the UE-based positioning method, UE 105 can obtain position measurements (e.g., which can be the same or similar to position measurements for UE-assisted positioning methods) and can calculate the position of UE 105 (e.g., with the aid of auxiliary data received from a location server (such as LMF 120) or broadcast by gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114 or other base stations or APs).

[0058] Using network-based positioning methods, one or more base stations (e.g., gNBs 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) or APs may obtain location measurements (e.g., measurements of RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, or time of arrival (ToA) of signals transmitted by UE 105) and / or may receive measurements obtained by UE 105. The one or more base stations or APs may send these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for use in calculating a location estimate for UE 105.

[0059] The information provided to LMF 120 by gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 using NRPPa may include timing and configuration information for directional SS transmissions and location coordinates. LMF 120 may provide some or all of this information to UE 105 as assistance data in LPP and / or NPP messages via NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140.

[0060] The LPP or NPP message sent from LMF 120 to UE 105 may instruct UE 105 to do any of a variety of things, depending on the desired functionality. For example, the LPP or NPP message may include instructions for UE 105 to obtain measurements for GNSS (or A-GNSS), WLAN, E-CID, and / or OTDOA (or some other positioning method). In the case of E-CID, the LPP or NPP message may instruct UE 105 to obtain one or more measurement parameters (e.g., beam ID, beam width, average angle, RSRP, RSRQ measurements) of directional signals transmitted within a particular cell supported by one or more of gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 (or supported by some other type of base station, such as an eNB or WiFi AP). The UE 105 may send these measurement parameters back to the LMF 120 in an LPP or NPP message (e.g., within a 5G NAS message) via the serving gNB 110a (or serving ng-eNB 114) and the AMF 115.

[0061] As mentioned, although the communication system 100 is described with respect to 5G technology, the communication system 100 may be implemented to support other communication technologies (such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc.) that are used to support and interact with mobile devices (such as UE 105) (e.g., to implement voice, data, positioning, and other functionality). In some such embodiments, the 5GC 140 may be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, the non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF, Figure 1 115) connects the 5GC 140 to the WLAN. For example, the WLAN may support IEEE 802.11 WiFi access for the UE 105 and may include one or more WiFi APs. Here, the N3IWF may be connected to the WLAN and other elements in the 5GC 140, such as the AMF 115. In some embodiments, both the NG-RAN 135 and the 5GC 140 may be replaced by one or more other RANs and one or more other core networks. For example, in the EPS, the NG-RAN 135 may be replaced by an E-UTRAN including an eNB, and the 5GC 140 may be replaced by an EPC including a mobility management entity (MME) replacing the AMF 115, an E-SMLC replacing the LMF 120, and a GMLC that may be similar to the GMLC 125. In such an EPS, the E-SMLC may use LPPa instead of NRPPa to send location information to and receive location information from the eNBs in the E-UTRAN, and may use LPP to support positioning of the UE 105. In these other embodiments, positioning of UE 105 using a directional positioning reference signal (PRS) may be supported in a manner similar to that described herein for 5G networks, with the difference that the functionality and procedures described herein for gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, and LMF 120 may in some cases be applied alternatively to other network elements, such as eNBs, WiFi APs, MMEs, and E-SMLCs.

[0062] As mentioned, in some embodiments, positioning functionality may be implemented at least in part using directional SS beams transmitted by base stations (such as gNBs 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) that are located at a UE (e.g., Figure 1 In some instances, the UE may use directional SS beams from multiple base stations (such as gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, etc.) to calculate the positioning of the UE.

[0063] Also refer to Figure 2UE 200 is an example of one of UEs 105, 106, and includes a computing platform including a processor 210, a memory 211 including software (SW) 212, one or more sensors 213, a transceiver interface 214 for a transceiver 215 (which includes a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250), a user interface 216, a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 217, a camera 218, and a positioning device (PD) 219. The processor 210, the memory 211, the sensor(s) 213, the transceiver interface 214, the user interface 216, the SPS receiver 217, the camera 218, and the positioning device 219 may be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 220 (which may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the devices shown (e.g., camera 218, positioning device 219, and / or one or more sensors 213, etc.) may be omitted from UE 200. The processor 210 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.). The processor 210 may include multiple processors, including a general / application processor 230, a digital signal processor (DSP) 231, a modem processor 232, a video processor 233, and / or a sensor processor 234. One or more of the processors 230-234 may include multiple devices (e.g., multiple processors). For example, the sensor processor 234 may include, for example, a processor for RF (radio frequency) sensing (wherein one or more (cellular) wireless signals and reflections transmitted are used to identify, map and / or track objects), and / or ultrasound, etc. The modem processor 232 may support dual SIM / dual connectivity (or even more SIMs). For example, one SIM (subscriber identity module or subscriber identity module) may be used by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and another SIM may be used by an end user of the UE 200 to obtain connectivity. The memory 211 is a non-transitory storage medium, which may include a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a disk memory, and / or a read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 211 stores software 212, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause processor 210 to perform various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 212 may not be directly executable by processor 210, but may be configured (e.g., when compiled and executed) to cause processor 210 to perform functions. This specification may refer to processor 210 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as implementations in which processor 210 executes software and / or firmware. This specification may refer to processor 210 performing functions as shorthand for one or more of processors 230-234 performing the function.This description may refer to UE 200 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of UE 200 performing that function. Processor 210 may include a memory with stored instructions in addition to and / or in lieu of memory 211. The functionality of processor 210 is discussed more fully below.

[0064] Figure 2 The configuration of UE 200 shown in is an example and is not intended to limit the present disclosure (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, an example configuration of UE includes one or more of processors 230-234 in processor 210, memory 211, and wireless transceiver 240. Other example configurations include one or more of processors 230-234 in processor 210, memory 211, wireless transceiver, and one or more of the following: sensor(s) 213, user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, PD 219, and / or wired transceiver.

[0065] UE 200 may include a modem processor 232 that may be capable of performing baseband processing of signals received and down-converted by transceiver 215 and / or SPS receiver 217. Modem processor 232 may perform baseband processing of signals to be up-converted for transmission by transceiver 215. Additionally or alternatively, baseband processing may be performed by processor 230 and / or DSP 231. However, other configurations may be used to perform baseband processing.

[0066] UE 200 may include sensor(s) 213, which may include, for example, one or more of various types of sensors, such as one or more inertial sensors, one or more magnetometers, one or more environmental sensors, one or more optical sensors, one or more weight sensors, and / or one or more radio frequency (RF) sensors, etc. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) may include, for example, one or more accelerometers (e.g., collectively responsive to acceleration of UE 200 in three dimensions) and / or one or more gyroscopes (e.g., three-dimensional gyroscope(s)). Sensor(s) 213 may include one or more magnetometers (e.g., three-dimensional magnetometer(s)) to determine orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic north and / or true north), which may be used for any of a variety of purposes (e.g., to support one or more compass applications). Environmental sensor(s) may include, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and / or one or more microphones, etc. Sensor(s) 213 may generate analog and / or digital signals, indications of which may be stored in memory 211 and processed by DSP 231 and / or processor 230 to support one or more applications such as, for example, applications involving positioning and / or navigation operations.

[0067] The sensor(s) 213 may be used for relative position measurement, relative position determination, motion determination, etc. The information detected by the sensor(s) 213 may be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based position determination, and / or sensor-assisted position determination. The sensor(s) 213 may be used to determine whether the UE 200 is fixed (stationary) or mobile and / or whether to report certain useful information related to the mobility of the UE 200 to the LMF 120. For example, based on the information obtained / measured by the sensor(s) 213, the UE 200 may notify / report to the LMF 120 that the UE 200 has detected movement or that the UE 200 has moved, and report the relative displacement / distance (e.g., via dead reckoning implemented by the sensor(s) 213, or sensor-based position determination, or sensor-assisted position determination). In another example, for relative positioning information, the sensor / IMU may be used to determine the angle and / or orientation of another device relative to the UE 200, etc.

[0068] The IMU may be configured to provide measurements of the direction of motion and / or speed of motion of the UE 200, which may be used for relative position determination. For example, one or more accelerometers and / or one or more gyroscopes of the IMU may detect the linear acceleration and rotational speed of the UE 200, respectively. The linear acceleration measurements and rotational speed measurements of the UE 200 may be integrated over time to determine the instantaneous direction of motion and displacement of the UE 200. The instantaneous direction of motion and displacement may be integrated to track the position of the UE 200. For example, a reference position of the UE 200 at a certain moment may be determined, for example, using the SPS receiver 217 (and / or by some other means), and measurements obtained from the accelerometer(s) and the gyroscope(s) after that moment may be used for dead reckoning to determine the current position of the UE 200 based on the movement (direction and distance) of the UE 200 relative to the reference position.

[0069] The magnetometer(s) may determine the magnetic field strength in different directions, which may be used to determine the orientation of the UE 200. For example, the orientation may be used to provide a digital compass for the UE 200. The magnetometer(s) may include a two-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of the magnetic field strength in two orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer(s) may include a three-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of the magnetic field strength in three orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer(s) may provide a means for sensing a magnetic field and providing an indication of the magnetic field, for example, to the processor 210.

[0070] The transceiver 215 may include a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless connections and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 240 may include a wireless transmitter 242 and a wireless receiver 244 coupled to an antenna 246 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals 248 and converting signals from the wireless signals 248 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to the wireless signals 248. Thus, the wireless transmitter 242 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 244 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 240 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with the TRP and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs), such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Zigbee, etc. The new radio may use millimeter wave frequencies and / or sub-6 GHz frequencies. The wired transceiver 250 may include a wired transmitter 252 and a wired receiver 254 configured for wired communication, for example, a network interface that may be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to send communications to the NG-RAN 135 and receive communications from the NG-RAN 135. The wired transmitter 252 may include a plurality of transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 254 may include a plurality of receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 250 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication. The transceiver 215 may be communicatively coupled to the transceiver interface 214 (e.g., via an optical connection and / or an electrical connection). The transceiver interface 214 may be at least partially integrated with the transceiver 215. Wireless transmitter 242, wireless receiver 244 and / or antenna 246 may include multiple transmitters, multiple receivers and / or multiple antennas, respectively, for transmitting and / or receiving appropriate signals, respectively.

[0071] The user interface 216 may include one or more devices in a number of devices (such as, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a display device, a vibration device, a keyboard, a touch screen, etc.). The user interface 216 may include any device more than one of these devices. The user interface 216 may be configured to enable a user to interact with one or more applications hosted by the UE 200. For example, the user interface 216 may store an indication of an analog and / or digital signal in the memory 211 in response to an action from the user to be processed by the DSP 231 and / or the general processor 230. Similarly, the application hosted on the UE 200 may store an indication of an analog and / or digital signal in the memory 211 to present an output signal to the user. The user interface 216 may include an audio input / output (I / O) device, which includes, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a digital-to-analog circuit system, an analog-to-digital circuit system, an amplifier and / or a gain control circuit system (including any device more than one of these devices). Other configurations of audio I / O devices may be used. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface 216 may include one or more touch sensors that respond to touch and / or pressure on, for example, a keyboard and / or a touch screen of the user interface 216 .

[0072] The SPS receiver 217 (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) receiver) may be capable of receiving and acquiring the SPS signal 260 via the SPS antenna 262. The SPS antenna 262 is configured to convert the SPS signal 260 from a wireless signal to a wired signal (e.g., an electrical signal or an optical signal), and may be integrated with the antenna 246. The SPS receiver 217 may be configured to process the acquired SPS signal 260 in whole or in part to estimate the position of the UE 200. For example, the SPS receiver 217 may be configured to determine the position of the UE 200 by performing trilateration using the SPS signal 260. The general purpose processor 230, the memory 211, the DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors (not shown) may be utilized in conjunction with the SPS receiver 217 to process the acquired SPS signal in whole or in part, and / or calculate the estimated position of the UE 200. The memory 211 may store indications (e.g., measurements) of the SPS signal 260 and / or other signals (e.g., signals obtained from the wireless transceiver 240) for use in performing positioning operations. The general processor 230, the DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors, and / or the memory 211 may provide or support a location engine for processing measurements to estimate the location of the UE 200.

[0073] UE 200 may include a camera 218 for capturing still or moving images. Camera 218 may include, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge coupled device or CMOS imager), a lens, analog-to-digital circuitry, a frame buffer, etc. Additional processing, conditioning, encoding, and / or compression of signals representing captured images may be performed by general purpose processor 230 and / or DSP 231. Additionally or alternatively, video processor 233 may perform conditioning, encoding, compression, and / or manipulation of signals representing captured images. Video processor 233 may decode / decompress stored image data for presentation on a display device (not shown) (e.g., of user interface 216).

[0074] Positioning device (PD) 219 may be configured to determine the location of UE 200, the motion of UE 200, and / or the relative location of UE 200, and / or time. For example, PD 219 may communicate with SPS receiver 217, and / or include some or all of SPS receiver 217. PD 219 may work appropriately with processor 210 and memory 211 to perform at least a portion of one or more positioning methods, although the description herein may only refer to PD 219 being configured to perform or performing according to a positioning method. PD 219 may be additionally or alternatively configured to: use ground-based signals (e.g., at least some signals 248) for trilateration, assist in obtaining and using SPS signals 260, or both to determine the location of UE 200. PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of UE 200 based on the cell of a serving base station (e.g., a cell center) and / or another technology (such as E-CID). The PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 using one or more images from the camera 218 and image recognition combined with known locations of landmarks (e.g., natural landmarks (such as mountains) and / or artificial landmarks (such as buildings, bridges, streets), etc.). The PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 using one or more other technologies (e.g., relying on the UE's self-reported location (e.g., part of the UE's location beacon)), and may use a combination of technologies (e.g., SPS and ground positioning signals) to determine the location of the UE 200. The PD 219 may include one or more sensors 213 (e.g., gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, etc.), which may sense the orientation and / or movement of the UE 200 and provide an indication of the orientation and / or movement, and the processor 210 (e.g., processor 230 and / or DSP 231) may be configured to use the indication to determine the movement of the UE 200 (e.g., velocity vector and / or acceleration vector). PD 219 may be configured to provide an indication of uncertainty and / or error in the determined position and / or motion. The functionality of PD 219 may be provided in a variety of ways and / or configurations, such as by general / application processor 230, transceiver 215, SPS receiver 217, and / or another component of UE 200, and may be provided by hardware, software, firmware, or various combinations thereof.

[0075] Also refer to Figure 3, an example of a TRP 300 for gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 includes a computing platform including a processor 310, a memory 311 including software (SW) 312, and a transceiver 315. The processor 310, the memory 311, and the transceiver 315 may be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 320 (which may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., a wireless interface) may be omitted from the TRP 300. The processor 310 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.). The processor 310 may include multiple processors (e.g., including, for example, Figure 2 310 ). The memory 311 is a non-volatile storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk storage, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory 311 stores software 312, which may be a processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause the processor 310 to perform the various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, the software 312 may not be directly executable by the processor 310, but may be configured (for example, when compiled and executed) to cause the processor 310 to perform various functions.

[0076] This description may refer to processor 310 performing a function, but this includes other implementations, such as implementations in which processor 310 executes software and / or firmware. This description may refer to processor 310 performing a function as shorthand for one or more processors included in processor 310 performing the function. This description may refer to TRP 300 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components (e.g., processor 310 and memory 311) of TRP 300 (and thereby one of gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) performing the function. Processor 310 may include a memory having stored instructions in addition to and / or in lieu of memory 311. The functionality of processor 310 is discussed more fully below.

[0077] The transceiver 315 may include a wireless transceiver 340 and / or a wired transceiver 350 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless connections and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 340 may include a wireless transmitter 342 and a wireless receiver 344 coupled to one or more antennas 346 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more downlink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more uplink channels) wireless signals 348 and converting signals from the wireless signals 348 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to the wireless signals 348. Thus, the wireless transmitter 342 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 344 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 340 may be configured to communicate in accordance with various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Zigbee, etc.) to communicate signals (e.g., with UE 200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices). The wired transceiver 350 may include a wired transmitter 352 and a wired receiver 354 configured for wired communication, for example, a network interface that may be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to send communications to the LMF 120 (e.g., and / or one or more other network entities) and receive communications from the LMF 120 (e.g., and / or one or more other network entities). The wired transmitter 352 may include a plurality of transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 354 may include a plurality of receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 350 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0078] Figure 3 The configuration of TRP 300 shown in is an example and is not intended to limit the present disclosure (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, the description herein discusses that TRP 300 is configured to perform several functions or that TRP 300 performs several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by LMF 120 and / or UE 200 (i.e., LMF 120 and / or UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0079] Also refer to Figure 4 , the server 400 (LMF 120 is an example thereof) includes: a computing platform including a processor 410, a memory 411 including software (SW) 412, and a transceiver 415. The processor 410, the memory 411, and the transceiver 415 may be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 420 (which may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the devices shown (e.g., a wireless interface) may be omitted from the server 400. The processor 410 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.). The processor 410 may include multiple processors (e.g., including, for example, Figure 2 410 ). The memory 411 is a non-volatile storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk storage, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory 411 stores software 412, which may be a processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause the processor 410 to perform various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, the software 412 may not be directly executable by the processor 410, but may be configured (for example, when compiled and executed) to cause the processor 410 to perform various functions. This specification may refer to the processor 410 performing a function, but this includes other implementations, such as the processor 410 executing software and / or firmware. This specification may refer to the processor 410 performing a function as a shorthand for one or more processors included in the processor 410 performing the function. This specification may refer to the server 400 performing a function as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the server 400 performing the function. Processor 410 may include memory with stored instructions in addition to and / or in lieu of memory 411. The functionality of processor 410 is discussed more fully below.

[0080] The transceiver 415 may include a wireless transceiver 440 and / or a wired transceiver 450 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless connections and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may include a wireless transmitter 442 and a wireless receiver 444 coupled to one or more antennas 446 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) wireless signals 448 and converting signals from the wireless signals 448 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to the wireless signals 448. Thus, the wireless transmitter 442 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 444 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 440 may be configured to communicate in accordance with various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Zigbee, etc.) to communicate signals (e.g., with UE 200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices). The wired transceiver 450 may include a wired transmitter 452 and a wired receiver 454 configured for wired communication, for example, a network interface that can be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to send communications to the TRP 300 (e.g., and / or one or more other entities) and receive communications from the TRP 300 (e.g., and / or one or more other entities). The wired transmitter 452 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 454 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 450 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0081] Descriptions herein may refer to processor 410 performing a function, but this includes other implementations, such as implementations in which processor 410 executes software and / or firmware (stored in memory 411). Descriptions herein may refer to server 400 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of server 400 (e.g., processor 410 and memory 411) performing that function.

[0082] Figure 4The configuration of the server 400 shown in is an example and is not intended to limit the present disclosure (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may be omitted. Additionally or alternatively, the description herein discusses that the server 400 is configured to perform several functions or that the server 400 performs several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by the TRP 300 and / or the UE 200 (i.e., the TRP 300 and / or the UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0083] Reference Figure 5 , a block diagram of example modules in user equipment 500 is shown. UE 500 may include some or all components of UE 200, and UE 200 is an example of UE 500. UE 500 includes different modules for different capabilities. Example modules may include optical module 502, acoustic module 504, communication module 506 and navigation module 508. Each of the example modules 502, 504, 506, 508 includes hardware and software components to implement the corresponding functionality of the module. For example, optical module 502 includes components for obtaining and processing image information, such as camera 218, video processor 233 and other such hardware and software components. In an example, optical module 502 may include one or more visible light, infrared sensors or other optical-based sensors. Acoustic module 504 includes hardware and software components, such as microphones, speakers, and processors associated with user interface 216 and processor 210 to enable UE 500 to obtain and process acoustic input. The communication module 506 includes hardware and software, such as the transceiver 215, the transceiver interface 214, the modem processor 232, or other components that enable the UE 500 to communicate with other stations. The navigation module 508 includes hardware and software, such as the SPS receiver 217, the transceiver 215, the sensor 213, and other components that enable the UE 500 to obtain positioning information. The components and corresponding functionality of the modules may vary based on the hardware and software configuration of the UE 500. Each of the modules 502, 504, 506, 508 may be configured to detect context indicators and apply QoS rules to their respective outputs based at least in part on these context indicators.

[0084] Reference Figure 6, a block diagram of an example process 600 for implementing context-based quality of service is shown. Process 600 is applicable to many different use cases based on the capabilities of the network and the UE. In general, context conditions 602 can be used to establish an entry point for a context QoS use case. Context conditions 602 can be relatively broad conditions that can be used to anticipate that a mobile device may be operating within a specific context QoS use case. Context indicators 604 can be associated with one or more context conditions 602. QoS rules 606 can be applied based on when one or more context indicators 604 are detected by the mobile device. User and / or network operator preferences 608 can affect the application of QoS rules 606. For example, user / operator preferences 608 may include privileges associated with a user. QoS rules 606 can affect module hardware and / or software settings 610. The following use cases are provided as examples of how process 600 can be implemented.

[0085] In a location services use case, the quality of the location estimate may be reduced for some users. For example, when in the geo-fenced area of ​​an organization's campus, only some authorized end-user devices and / or specific applications executed on the mobile device may obtain an accurate location. In contrast, other users and other applications may obtain a less accurate (or incorrect) location estimate. In this use case, example context conditions 602 may include being a current employee or student, or being located in an area that also includes the campus. Example context indicators are included in one or more defined geo-fenced areas. QoS rules may be configured to reduce the accuracy of the location estimate calculated by the navigation module 508.

[0086] In the acoustic use case, the quality of the audio recording may be reduced for some users. For example, when a pop singer releases a new song, attempting to record the song using a mobile device during the first week of the song's release may result in a low-quality recording. However, other songs may be recorded normally during this period. In this use case, the example contextual conditions 602 may include one or more of the following: song release date, time duration, being at a venue where the song is being played, or purchasing tickets to attend this venue. The example contextual indicators 604 include obtaining a recording of the song, and the QoS rules 606 may include degrading the microphone input during the recording and / or reducing the quality of the resulting media file (e.g., lower capture rate, clipping acoustic range, etc.).

[0087] In the optical use case, the quality of the captured image may be reduced for some users. For example, a museum may wish to protect the copyright of artworks exhibited in a visitor gallery. In this use case, when a user attempts to obtain a picture of an artwork through a mobile device, the camera flash may be automatically disabled, and / or the picture quality may be significantly degraded / pixelated. However, the same mobile device may obtain pictures of other artworks in the museum. In this use case, example contextual conditions may include being located in a museum, purchasing a ticket to visit the museum, or detecting a WiFi signal within the museum. Examples of context indicators 604 may include images of artworks within a camera frame, or other visual indicators that may be captured by an optical module in a mobile device. QoS rules 606 may include disabling flash, reducing the resolution of the obtained image, and / or editing at least a portion of the image captured by the mobile device. These use cases are examples, not limitations, because process 600 may be applied to other contexts and associated QoS rules for controlling the functionality of a mobile device based at least in part on context indicators.

[0088] In one example, context conditions 602, context indicators 604, QoS rules 606, user / operator preferences 608, and module hardware and / or software settings 610 may be included in a software application installed on a mobile device. For example, a user may install an application (e.g., App) from an online service that includes context and rule information. In one example, the application may be configured to obtain context and rule information from a networked data source (such as a remote server). Other common software loading techniques, such as a wired or wireless connection to a network computing device, may be used to obtain software files and install context and rule information onto a mobile device.

[0089] Reference Figures 7A-7C , a diagram showing an example use case for applying quality of service rules on an optical input. Fig. 7A An example museum wall 700 is depicted showing a first painting 702 and a second painting 704. A first user (not in Fig. 7A ) is using a first UE 706 to obtain an image of a first painting 702, and a second user (not shown in Fig. 7A704). In one example, a network server (or other resource) may be configured to detect contextual conditions for UEs 706, 708, such as determining when UEs 706, 708 are located in a museum or adjacent to a wall 700. The network server may be configured to send contextual indicators (such as image data files) to UEs 706, 708 to enable UEs 706, 708 to perform image recognition on paintings 702, 704. For example, the contextual indicators may be provided in response to detecting the contextual conditions. The museum operator may establish QoS rules such that all devices are allowed to photograph the first painting 702, but photographing the second painting 704 is prohibited. Other variations of rules for combinations of users and paintings may also be used (e.g., some users may photograph certain paintings), and corresponding QoS results may also vary (e.g., some users may photograph some paintings at reduced resolution, etc.). The first UE 706 may be configured to obtain a first image 706a of the first painting 702, and the resulting image file may be used without restriction. In contrast, the second UE 708 attempts to capture the second drawing 704, but the UE 708 displays a blank or edited image 708a. That is, the image 708a is at a reduced QoS because the second drawing 704 is a contextual indicator. Fig. 7A The image 708a is depicted as edited, but other QoS rules may be applied. For example, the resolution of the image 708a may be reduced, the color may be modified, or a DRM feature may be included in the resulting image file. In an example, when the second painting 704 is within the camera view, the flash on the second UE 708 may be disabled, or the recording function on the optical module may be disabled. Other QoS rules 606 may also be applied based on the contextual indicator 604 and the user / operator preferences 608 associated with the museum and / or the user (e.g., in the case where the user is a VIP donor to the museum).

[0090] Figure 7B Examples of other context indicators that may be detected by the optical modules of the UE 706, 708 are included. Typically, the context indicator includes a feature that may be detected by the affected module. In one implementation, the context indicator may be a feature detected by one module that may affect a different module, component, or process. For example, the detection of a certain WiFi signal may affect the functionality of one or more modules. Figure 7BIn the light input use case in FIG. 7 , the museum wall 750 may include contextual indicators such as lights 752a-b and quick response (QR) codes 754a-b. For example, the lights 752a-b may be configured to emit light of a specific frequency (e.g., UV, visible light, IR) detected by the optical module in the UE 706, 708. In an example, the lights 752a-b may be configured to use a light emitting diode (LED) for visible light communication (VLC), and the UE 706, 708 may be configured to decode the corresponding VLC signals emitted by the lights 752a-b. The first light 752a may emit a first VLC signal as a contextual indicator for the first painting 702, and the second light 752b may emit a second VLC signal as a contextual indicator for the second painting 704. Other optical-based technologies may be used as contextual indicators. For example, the first QR code 754a may be a contextual indicator for the first painting 702, and the second QR code 754b may be a contextual indicator for the second painting 704. The quality of the images 706a, 708a may vary based on the contextual indicators and QoS rules.

[0091] Reference Figure 7C , shows an example image based on different QoS rules. A first user may be associated with a first UE 760, and a second user may be associated with a second UE 762. The first UE 760 obtains an image of a painting (e.g., a first painting 702) and the resulting first image 760a has a standard quality. The first user and the second user may be associated with different preferences. For example, the first user may be a donor to the museum, or may have paid a subscription fee, or may have met another condition established by the network operator so that the first QoS rule can be applied when the first user obtains an image of the first painting 702. In contrast, when the second UE 762 obtains an image of the first painting 702, the resulting second image 762a has a lower quality (e.g., the second image 762a is blurred) compared to the first image 760a. For example, the second user may not have the credentials of the first user, and therefore the QoS rules for the two users may be different. In an example, when a contextual condition is detected, a context indicator and a QoS rule may be provided by a network operator.

[0092] refer to Figure 8, a diagram 800 of an example use case for applying quality of service rules on audio input. Diagram 800 depicts a performer 802 providing an audio signal in the form of a song 804. UE 806 includes an acoustic module 504 with a microphone, and is configured to receive an acoustic input 804a and save the recorded audio as part of an audio and / or video file. In this use case, the performer 802 or other entity may desire to limit the ability of a user to obtain and save an audio recording of its performance. The context-based QoS process 600 can be used to modify the audio recording so that the UE 806 saves the audio file (or the audio track of a video file) as a low-fidelity recording 808. For example, the contextual conditions 602 for this use case may include the current location of the UE 806 (e.g., adjacent to the performer 802), or purchasing tickets for the performance. An audio component (such as a song 804) can be a context indicator 604. For example, UE 806 may be configured with a music recognition algorithm (e.g., MusicID, Shazam, etc.), and a data file associated with song 604 may be provided to UE 806 based on contextual conditions 602. QoS rules 606 may be configured to reduce the fidelity of the microphone and / or the resulting audio file (e.g., clip range, reduce sampling rate, watermark with frequency tone, etc.), or completely prohibit recording. In one example, user / operator preferences 608 (such as VIP status) or an indication that a user has purchased an album may also be used to modify QoS rules 606. Other user and operator preferences may also be used to affect the QoS of the resulting audio file. Other context indicators may also be used. For example, sub-audio frequency tones or high frequency tones (e.g., outside of human hearing) may be detected by acoustic module 504 and used as context indicators for audio use cases.

[0093] In one example, the QoS rules may invoke known audio watermarking techniques. For example, voice samples from an audio / song may be mixed into the recorded voice. These voice samples may be beyond the audible frequency range of a normal human ear, or encoded in a way that makes the voice unrecordable when played. The presence of this watermark may be determined in a trusted context engine (TCE) in the UE 806. When the TCE detects these signals, the TCE may add a voice signal pattern, or introduce some degradation in the audio recording path, which makes the recording quality very poor or completely inaudible.

[0094] Reference Fig. 9, a diagram 900 of a use case with a personal context indicator is shown. Performer 802 or other individuals may desire to protect their privacy by limiting the ability of others to obtain their photos. For example, performer 802 may be located in a place with privacy expectations. Performer 802 may wear personal context indicator 902 to implement QoS rules on mobile devices that attempt to obtain photos or videos with performer 802 in the frame. Personal context indicator 902 may be an item (such as a badge, neck ornament, patch, armband, glasses) or other wearable items that can be detected by an optical module on the UE. Personal context indicator 902 may be a symbol, a QR code, an interference pattern, or other visual objects that can be recognized by the optical module in the UE. In an example, personal context indicator 902 may be an LED or other light source configured to emit a VLC code. Other wearable transmitters (such as RF, IR and UV sources) and other machine-readable information that can be detected by the UE may also be used as personal context indicator 902. In an example, facial recognition technology may be used so that the face of performer 802 can be used as a context indicator.

[0095] In this example use case, the distance 904 between the performer 802 and the UE 906 can be used as a contextual condition. Other contextual conditions (such as scheduling information, detected side link signals, shared service stations, etc.) can also be used to anticipate that the UE 906 is in a position to obtain a photo or video of the performer 802. When the UE 906 detects the personal context indicator 902, the corresponding QoS rule can cause the display 908 (and the resulting captured image) to be edited. In an example, the center of the edit can be based on the position of the personal context indicator 902 in the image. Other QoS rules can be used, such as reducing the resolution of the captured image, watermarking the captured image, or disabling the camera. The QoS rules can also be configured to embed information into the captured image based on the detection of the personal context indicator 902. For example, a URL address, a personal message, a QR code, or other information can be displayed together with the image of the performer 802 or instead of the image of the performer 802. Other QoS rules and corresponding hardware and / or software settings can be used to protect the privacy of the performer 802.

[0096] Reference Fig. 10A, a diagram 1000 is shown of an example use case for limiting the distribution of a confidential presentation. Diagram 1000 includes a presenter 1002, presentation media 1004, and audience members 1018a-c. A first audience member 1018a is attempting to record the presentation via a UE 1006. Diagram 1000 includes a plurality of example context indicators, including a QR code 1010 disposed on presentation media 1004, a light fixture 1016, and a plain text indicator 1014 disposed on presentation media 1004. Light fixture 1016 may be configured to emit a VLC signal as a context indicator, and / or emit other optical properties detected by a camera module on UE 1006. Presenter 1002 may utilize personal context indicators 1002a to implement QoS rules for the presentation. The plain text indicator 1014 can be text included in the presentation (e.g., in a slide of the presentation file, handwritten on the presentation medium 1004), and the UE 1006 can be configured to perform an optical character recognition (OCR) process on the plain text indicator 1014 to implement the QoS rule. When the presentation medium is a whiteboard, the presenter 1002 can write one or more context words (e.g., confidential, secret, noforn (no foreign dissemination), top secret, etc.) on the whiteboard, or include these context words in the electronic presentation. Different context words can be used to invoke different QoS rules. In an example, a feature of the presentation (such as the color and / or font of the text 1012 in the presentation) can be used as a context indicator. Other context indicators can also be used to limit the QoS of other modules in the UE 1006. For example, a sub-audible tone or a super-audible tone (i.e., below or above the audible range of human hearing) can be emitted from the speaker 1008 as a context indicator for an acoustic module in the UE 1006.

[0097] In this presentation use case, the proximity of the UE 1006 to the presentation media 1004 or the presenter 1002 can be used as a contextual condition. Other contextual conditions can also be used, such as being an employee of the company (e.g., having access to the presentation), or visiting the company campus (e.g., visitor badge procedures), or other conditions that can be used to anticipate that the UE can access the presentation. Although Fig. 10A A plurality of example context indicators are depicted, only one context indicator is needed to invoke a QoS rule. For example, when UE 1006 obtains an image including a plain text indicator 1014 (e.g., the word confidential), a QoS rule may disable an optical module in UE 1006 so that a blank image is presented on display 1006a. Other QoS rules may also be used, and different users / UEs may have different QoS rules for the same context indicator.

[0098] Reference Fig. 10B, see further Fig. 10A , a diagram 1050 is shown of an example use case for limiting content distribution in a virtual meeting. Diagram 1050 includes a computer 1052 configured with virtual meeting software 1054 (e.g., ZOOM, Microsoft Teams, etc.) to enable users to view presentations provided by other users. The virtual meeting software 1054 and / or the media file being presented may include one or more contextual indicators to limit the viewer's ability to record the presentation through UE 1064. An example contextual condition for a virtual meeting may be receiving a virtual meeting invitation. Example contextual indicators include a plain text indicator 1058 on the image being presented, or an abstract contextual indicator 1056 (such as a shape, QR code, window border) or other visual object to be presented in the virtual meeting software 1054. As an example and not limitation, the abstract contextual indicator 1056 Fig. 10B 1056 and will remain on the screen throughout the virtual presentation. Other visual objects may also be used as abstract context indicators. The optical module in UE 1064 is configured to detect abstract context indicators 1056 or plain text indicators 1058, and apply one or more QoS rules. For example, the QoS rule may cause the image 1064a obtained by UE 1064 to be edited or otherwise rendered useless. In one example, the virtual conference software 1054 may be configured to utilize the speaker 1060 in the computer 1052 to periodically transmit an audio signal 1062 at the beginning of the presentation and / or during the entire presentation. As a context indicator, the audio signal 1062 may be used to modify the QoS of the acoustic module in UE 1064 within a time period. For example, when UE 1064 detects the audio signal 1062, the QoS of the audio recording capability of UE 1064 may be reduced by one hour (e.g., the scheduled length of the virtual presentation).

[0099] refer to Fig.11, a diagram 1100 is shown for an example use case of applying quality of service rules on navigation input. Diagram 1100 includes a UE 1102 moving along a path 1104 into a geo-fenced area 1106. In an example, the geo-fenced area 1106 may define a corporate or government campus where it is desirable to ensure that employee device location accuracy is low (so that it is difficult for any application installed on the employee's mobile device to accurately pinpoint where the employee is, even though it can be said that the employee is somewhere within the campus). The navigation module in the UE 1102 may be configured to provide a first positioning estimate 1102a with a first QoS when outside the geo-fenced area 1106, and to provide a second positioning estimate 1102b with a second QoS when inside the geo-fenced area 1106. The first positioning estimate 1102a is more accurate than the second positioning estimate 1102b. In operation, a user may desire that all location applications on the UE 1102 switch to a low accuracy (or produce an incorrect location) when they are in the geo-fenced area 1106 during certain times of the day. For example, the contextual condition may be the time of day, and the contextual indicator may be the user's current location (e.g., geo-fenced area 1106). In one example, UEs belonging to employees of the organization may have access restrictions (e.g., access to the Internet, documents, media files, etc.) when the devices are located in geo-fenced area 1106, but devices belonging to non-employees will have regular access even when they are within geo-fenced area 1106. In one example, when non-employee devices are within geo-fenced area 1106, they should not be able to locate themselves (e.g., to prevent these non-employee devices from tagging the exact location of certain assets).

[0100] Reference Fig.12, a block diagram for implementing context-based quality of service rules on user equipment 1200 is shown. UE 1200 may include some or all of the components of UE 200, and UE 200 may be an example of UE 1200. UE 1200 includes one or more modules 1204, such as optical module 502, acoustic module 504, communication module 506, and navigation module 508. High-level operating system (HLOS) 1206 may be configured to execute on one or more of processor 210 and memory 211. Module 1204 may also utilize one or more of processor 210. In an example, processor 210 may be configured as a trusted processor, such as an ARM Cortex processor with TrustZone technology. Edge server 1202 may be configured to provide context indicators and corresponding QoS rules to a trusted context engine of UE 1200. Edge server 1202 may be configured to communicate with UE 1200 via communication network 100. For example, the server 150 may be configured as an edge server 1202. Other communication technologies, such as WiFi and Bluetooth, may also be used to provide the UE 1200 with context indicators and QoS rules.

[0101] In operation, the UE 1200 may detect the contextual condition and request the contextual indicator and QoS rules from the edge server 1202. In an example, a network resource (such as an edge server, LMF, or other network entity) may detect the contextual condition and push the contextual indicator and QoS rules to the UE 1200. The contextual indicator and QoS rules may include information (such as a media file, a QR code, a VLC sequence, a plain text indicator), as previously described. Other contextual indicators may also be provided. A trusted context engine (TCE) may be configured to compare a module input with the contextual indicator and then apply an appropriate QoS transformation to the module input. The module output may be based on the module input and the QoS transformation.

[0102] For example, in Fig.11In the navigation use case described in , the geo-fenced area 1106 can be programmed in the TCE based on input from the edge server 1202 and / or a privileged application executed on the UE 1200. The TCE can access the data required to accurately determine the geo-fence, such as the range measurement provided by the SPS receiver 217, the cellular and / or WiFi measurements based on the signals received by the transceiver 215. The TCE can also be configured with other user / operator preferences, such as whether the UE 1200 is part of a specified target set or non-target set (e.g., employees or visitors, etc.). When the UE 1200 is outside the geo-fenced area 1106, the TCE is configured to provide accurate assistance data, cellular and / or WiFi measurements to the navigation module (e.g., GNSS positioning engine). After determining that the UE 1200 device is within the geo-fenced area 1106, the TCE can be configured to determine whether the assistance data provided to the navigation module is accurate assistance data or a corrupted version of the assistance data, cellular and / or WiFi measurements. Based on QoS rules, the TCE may be configured to modify positioning measurements to reduce the accuracy of positioning estimates provided to other applications on the UE 1200 .

[0103] exist Fig. 7A In the optical module use case described in , UE 1200 may be configured to receive an image file (or other context indicator data) associated with a painting 702, 704 from an edge server 1202 having a TCE. The module input may be an image obtained by a camera. The TCE is configured to compare the image obtained by the camera with the image file received from the edge server 1202 and apply QoS rules to transform the camera image. The module output may be a low-quality image, an edited image, a blank image, a watermarked image file (e.g., by adding a DRM feature), or other transformations of the camera input (or captured image file) based on QoS rules. The module output may be further processed by HLOS 1206, such as being stored in a memory or presented on a device display.

[0104] UE 1200 and edge server 1202 are examples and not limitations, as other communication and data processing techniques may be used to obtain context indicators and QoS rules, and then apply corresponding QoS transformations to module inputs.

[0105] Reference Fig.13, an example data structure 1300 for implementing context-based quality of service rules is shown. The data structure 1300 may be stored on an edge server 1202, on another networked server 400 (such as LMF 120), or on a UE 200. The data structure 1300 may be arranged on a memory device 1302 (such as a solid state or mechanical hard drive) and may include a plurality of data records stored in a relational database application (e.g., Amazon Aurora, Oracle Database, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, DB2, etc.) or in one or more flat files (e.g., JSON, XML, CSV, etc.), or other accessible arrays in the memory device 1302. The table structures and fields in the data structure 1300 are examples and not limitations, as other data fields, tables, stored procedures, and index patterns may be used to construct the data structure 1300. In an example, the data structure 1300 may include a condition table 1304, an indicator table 1306, a user table 1308, and a QoS rule table 1310. Condition table 1304 may include fields associated with contextual conditions 602 detected by a mobile device or other networked resources (e.g., edge server 1202, LMF 120, etc.). For example, conditionIndex and / or conditionID fields may be used to index condition records in condition table 1304. conditionDesc field may provide a plain text description of the condition record. One or more conditionParams fields may include operational parameters or conditions required to satisfy the condition. For example, as provided in the use cases herein, parameters may include location information, UE state information, application information (e.g., ticket purchase, scheduling items), or other parameters to anticipate the use of adjacent context indicators. ConditionsActive field may include date / time information indicating when the condition may be applied. These fields are examples, not limitations, as other fields and related tables may also be included in condition table 1304. Indicator table 1306 may include fields associated with contextual indicators 604 detectable by a mobile device. For example, the indicatorIndex and / or indicatorid fields may be used to index indicator records in the indicator table 1306. Records in the indicator table 1306 may reference records in the condition table 1304 via one or more reference links. The IndicatorLoc field may include location information (e.g., coordinates, address, room number, etc.) for the contextual indicator.The contextType field may be used to classify the type of context indicator (e.g., image, QR code, plain text, audio, VLC, location, etc.). The contextSignal field may be used to indicate the content of the context indicator (e.g., image file, QR code content, plain text words, audio file, VLC signal, location parameters, etc.). One or more contextConfig fields may include additional parameterized information to describe the configuration of its indicator that enables the mobile device to detect it. The activeTime field may include date / time information to indicate when the context indicator is active and detectable. These fields are examples and not limitations, as other fields and related tables may be included in indicator table 1306.

[0106] The user table 1308 may include fields associated with user / operator preferences 608 that may affect QoS rules. The userIndex and / or userID fields may be used to index records in the user table 1308. The deviceID field may include identification information associated with a specific mobile device, and the deviceType field may be used to classify the type of device. One or more moduleConfig and moduleParams fields may include device / module specific parameters that may be modified based on QoS rules. For example, the moduleConfig and moduleParams fields may be associated with module hardware and / or software settings 610. One or more userPreferences fields may include information associated with a user's privileges and / or status (e.g., museum donor, employee, student ID, etc.) and other information associated with user preferences for applying QoS rules. These fields are examples, not limitations, as other fields and related tables may be included in the user table 1308. The QoS rule table 1310 may include fields associated with the QoS rule 606, which may be applied to modify the output of a module within a mobile device. The QoS rule table 1310 may reference records in the indicator table 1306 and the user table 1308 via a reference link. One or more qosRules fields may include operator and logic fields that define QoS rules for a combination of context indicators and users and / or user preferences. One or more qosParams fields may include parameter values ​​that enable a module to comply with QoS rules. For example, a QoS rule may indicate that the resolution of an image is to be reduced when a context indicator is detected, and the qosParams field may include parameters or functions for reducing the resolution of the image. Other use cases will utilize different rules and associated parameters. These fields are examples, not limitations, as other fields and related tables may be included in the QoS rule table 1310.

[0107] Reference Fig.14, shows an example message flow 1400 for providing contextual quality of service information to a user equipment. The message flow 1400 includes a UE 1402, such as UE 200, in a cellular communication network, such as the communication network 100. The UE 1402 may communicate with network resources in a 5G core (5GC) 1406 via one or more stations (e.g., gNB, ng-eNB) in a NG-RAN 1404. The 5GC 1406 may include an LMF 120, an AMF 115, and other networked servers. A context server 1408 (such as an edge server 1202 or an external client 130) may be communicatively coupled to the 5GC 1406 and configured to provide contextual quality of service information to the UE 1402 and other networked resources. The context server 1408 may be a web-based service or microservice, and the UE 1402 may be configured to send and receive information from the context server 1408 via the Internet. Although Fig.14 The message flow is depicted in a 5G cellular network, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, as the message flow 1400 may use other communication networks and protocols, such as LTE, WiFi, and Bluetooth. The message flow 1400 may include multiple steps, each step including one or more messages between two or more networked entities. For example, in a first step, the context server 1408 and the 5GC may exchange messages to establish context conditions. The context conditions may be location-based, application-based, time-based, event-based, or other detectable conditions indicating that the mobile device may be in a location where a context indicator is to be detected. The context conditions may be stored in one or more data structures, such as data structure 1300, and the context conditions may be provided to the communication network on demand and / or on a periodic basis.

[0108] In the second step, the communication network and / or UE 1402 may be configured to detect one or more contextual conditions. As previously described, the contextual conditions may be based on location information (e.g., entering a geo-fenced area or other specified area, being adjacent to a target UE, etc.), based on events and / or applications (e.g., purchasing tickets to a venue, subscribing to a service, setting up a new user on a corporate network, purchasing a media file, etc.), and other conditions for the use of contextual indicators that may be expected. For example, the LMF 120 in the 5GC 1406 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 1402 and detect contextual conditions based on the location. The contextual conditions may be provided to the UE 1402 via network messaging (such as NAS (LPP / NPP), RRC, or other signaling technologies known in the art), and the UE 1402 may be configured to send one or more signals to the network when the contextual conditions are detected. For example, an application executed on the UE 1402 may provide an indication when a ticket or other contextual condition for a venue (e.g., a concert, a museum exhibition, etc.) is met.

[0109] In a third step, the context server 1408 (or other network resource) may be configured to obtain context indicators and QoS rules based at least in part on the detected context conditions. For example, one or more records of the data structure 1300 may be provided to the UE 1402 via a transmittable format (such as XML, JSON, CSV, etc.). Other formats (e.g., text, binary) may also be used to provide the context indicators and QoS rules. In one example, the context indicators and / or QoS rules may be part of a dynamic link library (DLL) or other shared library or a compiled function configured to be executed on the UE 1402 based on input received by the UE 1402. In a fourth step, the UE 1402 is configured to detect one or more of the received context indicators and apply corresponding QoS rules, as described herein. Other information associated with the QoS rules (such as user and operator preferences) may also be received and applied by the UE 1402. For example, referring to Figure 7C , the first and second UEs 760, 762 may each receive context indicators and QoS rules from the network so that a drawn image (eg, context indicators) may result in a stored image of different quality (eg, different QoS rules for different UEs / users).

[0110] In an optional fifth step, a communication network including NG-RAN 1404 and / or 5GC 1406 may be configured to apply constraints or other processing variants based at least in part on QoS rules. For example, QoS rules may include watermarking media files of images, videos, and audio clips captured by UE 1402. One or more servers in the communication network or associated with other platforms (such as social networks) may be configured to limit or otherwise constrain the propagation of watermarked media files. In one example, a network server may be configured to edit a media file or otherwise degrade the quality of the media file when a user attempts to publish (e.g., distribute) the media file on a website or within a social media environment. In one example, one or more servers in NG-RAN 1404, 5GC 1406, or for a social media platform may be configured to detect context indicators in a media file obtained by UE 1402 and apply QoS rules before allowing the media file to be propagated. The network may be configured to take other actions based on the detection of context indicators and corresponding QoS rules.

[0111] Reference Fig.15 , and further refer to Figure 1-14, the method 1500 for providing contextual service quality information includes the stages shown. However, the method 1500 is an example and not a limitation. The method 1500 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing concurrently, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0112] At stage 1502, the method includes: detecting a contextual condition associated with a user equipment. Server 400 (such as LMF 120 and edge server 1202) (including processor 410 and transceiver 415) is a device for detecting a contextual condition associated with a UE. In one example, server 400 may be configured to determine the location of the UE based on satellite and / or terrestrial positioning methods. For example, LMF 120 may be configured to initiate a positioning session with the UE to obtain a position estimate of the UE. In one example, the UE may be configured to detect the contextual condition and provide an indication to the server 400 that the contextual condition is met. For example, the UE may provide one or more messages indicating that a ticket to a venue has been purchased, a network credential has been established, a media file has been purchased, or other conditions indicating that the UE may be adjacent to one or more context indicators.

[0113] At stage 1504, the method includes determining one or more context indicators and quality of service rules based at least in part on the context conditions. Server 400 (including processor 410 and transceiver 415) is a device for determining one or more context indicators and QoS rules. In one example, server 400 may include data structure 1300 and may be configured to query data structure 1300 based on the context conditions detected at stage 1502. In one example, server 400 may be configured to query a web service API or microservice to obtain context indicators and QoS rules based on the detected context conditions. Reference Fig. 7A , in an optical use case, the contextual condition may be that the UE enters an art museum or purchases a ticket to enter the art museum, and the contextual indicator may include an image or other data file associated with a work of art in the museum to enable the UE to identify the work of art in the captured image. QoS rules may cause images to be captured or saved at a lower resolution, or other transformations as previously described.

[0114] At stage 1506, the method includes providing contextual quality of service information including one or more context indicators and quality of service rules to the user equipment. The server 400 (including the processor 410 and the transceiver 415) is a device for providing contextual quality of service information. In one example, the server 400 may provide the query results obtained in stage 1504 to the UE via one or more cellular signaling technologies (such as via LPP and RRC messages). WiFi and Bluetooth messaging may also be used to provide contextual quality of service information to the UE. In one example, web-based formats (such as XML and JSON) may be used to provide quality of service information to the UE. Other data transmission technologies known in the art may also be used.

[0115] refer to Fig.16 , and further refer to Figure 1-14 , a method 1600 for generating an output based at least in part on contextual quality of service information includes the stages shown. However, the method 1600 is an example and not a limitation. The method 1600 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing concurrently, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0116] At stage 1602, the method includes obtaining input through device modules. UE 200 (including hardware and software modules such as optical module 502, acoustic module 504, communication module 506, and navigation module 508) is a means for obtaining input. The input can be images / video, audio, communication signals (e.g., detected radio signals transmitted from a base station), and / or navigation signals associated with terrestrial and satellite navigation technologies.

[0117] At stage 1604, the method includes: determining a context indicator based on the input. UE 200 and corresponding modules 502, 504, 506, 508 are means for determining a context indicator. In one example, referring to Fig.12 , UE 1200 may detect the contextual condition and request context indicators and QoS rules from edge server 1202, LMF 120 or other network entity. Context indicators and QoS rules may include information (such as media files, QR codes, VLC sequences, plain text indicators), as described herein. TCE may be configured to compare the input received in stage 1602 with the received context indicator to determine whether the context indicator is present in the input. For example, image and audio recognition techniques may be used for optical and acoustic inputs. Other comparison functions, such as determining the current position of the context indicator relative to a predefined geo-fenced area. Other comparison and analysis techniques may be used to determine whether the context indicator is present in the input.

[0118] At stage 1606, the method includes: determining the quality of service based at least in part on the context indicator. UE 200 and corresponding modules 502, 504, 506, 508 are means for determining QoS. In one example, the context indicator and QoS may be based on the relationship in the data structure 1300. Context indicator information and corresponding QoS rules may be provided based on the detected context conditions. Other factors (such as user / operator preferences) may also affect the QoS rules. For example, some users may be provided preferential treatment based on subscription services, user status (e.g., club members, students, faculty, employees) or other operational considerations. In one example, some context indicators and QoS rules may be included in the memory 211 and configured by the equipment manufacturer at the time of manufacturing (or via software updates). For example, a law enforcement vehicle at the scene of an accident may use a general context indicator (such as a specific VLC sequence or code) and QoS rules to prevent unauthorized photos of the accident scene and / or victims. Such general and industry-accepted standard context indicators may be included during device design and manufacturing.

[0119] At stage 1608, the method includes generating an output based at least in part on the input and the quality of service. UE 200 and corresponding modules 502, 504, 506, 508 are means for generating an output. In one example, referring to Fig.12 , the TCE may be configured to compare the module input with the context indicator and then apply the appropriate QoS transformation to the module input. The module output may be based on the module input and the QoS transformation. The QoS transformation may be based on the use cases described herein, or based on other algorithms configured to change the quality of the module input.

[0120] Reference Fig.17 , and further refer to Figure 1-14 , a method 1700 for enabling or disabling one or more capabilities of a mobile device includes the stages shown. However, the method 1700 is an example and not a limitation. The method 1700 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing concurrently, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0121] At stage 1702, the method includes determining an operating context for the mobile device based at least in part on the location of the mobile device, one or more preferences associated with a user of the mobile device, and context indicators detected by one or more modules in the mobile device. UE 200 (including hardware and software modules such as processor 210, optical module 502, acoustic module 504, communication module 506 and / or navigation module 508)) is a device for determining an operating context for a mobile device. In an example, the location of the mobile device may be based on one or more ground and / or satellite navigation technologies. One or more preferences associated with the user may be stored in a data structure 1300 in a local memory 211 or on a network storage device. Preferences may be indications of privileges associated with the user, such as VIP donors, ticket holders, etc. Preferences may also be used to indicate the status of the user, such as current students, employees, faculty, etc. In general, preferences may be used to enable different functionality of mobile devices associated with different users. One or more modules may include at least one of the following: an optical module, an acoustic module, a communication module, and a navigation module. In an example, context indicators detected by one or more modules may be included in an image obtained by a camera. The image may include at least one of the following: a plain text indicator, a quick response code, and a visible light communication transmitting device. The image file of the image may be transformed and stored so that the resolution of the image file may be based at least in part on the operating context. In one example, the context indicator detected by one or more modules may be an acoustic input. The context indicator may be an audio component within the acoustic input, and the audio file may be stored in the memory 211 based on the acoustic input so that the sampling rate of the audio file is based at least in part on the operating context. In one example, the context indicator detected by one or more modules may include one or more radio frequency signals associated with terrestrial or satellite navigation.

[0122] The operating context may be based on applying one or more quality of service rules based on the location of the mobile device, user preferences, one or more context indicators, and / or a combination thereof. One or more quality of service rules may be configured to reduce the capabilities of one or more modules in the mobile device, as described herein. For example, the resolution of images, audio recordings, and location estimates may be reduced or otherwise limited based on the application of the quality of service rules.

[0123] At stage 1704, the method includes: enabling or disabling one or more capabilities of the mobile device based on the operational context. UE 200 (including processor 210) is a device for enabling or disabling one or more capabilities. UE 200 may be configured to disable one or more of an optical module, an acoustic module, a communication module, and / or a navigation module based on the operational context. For example, image capture / video recording capability may be disabled, audio recording capability may be disabled, communication may be disabled, and / or navigation process may be disabled. In one example, the quality of service of the enabling capability of the mobile device may be reduced based on the operational context. For example, the resolution of the image, audio clipping, communication bandwidth, and / or navigation accuracy may be reduced. Other capabilities of the mobile device may also be reduced based on the operational context. In one example, context indicator information may be received from a remote server based at least in part on the location of the mobile device and one or more preferences associated with the user of the mobile device. One or more preferences may be an indication of user privileges, such as paying for membership, purchasing tickets, or other traceable events that may be used to classify different users.

[0124] Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software and computers, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features that implement the functions may also be physically located in a variety of locations, including being distributed so that parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0125] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" also include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the terms "comprises", "has", "includes", and / or "contains" indicate the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0126] Likewise, as used herein, "or" used in a list of items (possibly followed by "at least one of" or followed by "one or more of") indicates a disjunctive list, so that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C," or a list of "one or more of A, B, or C," or a list of "A or B or C" means A or B or C, or AB (A and B), or AC (A and C), or BC (B and C), or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or a combination having more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.). Thus, a statement that an item (e.g., a processor) is configured to perform a function with respect to at least one of A or B, or a statement that an item is configured to perform function A or function B, means that the item may be configured to perform a function with respect to A, or may be configured to perform a function with respect to B, or may be configured to perform functions with respect to both A and B. For example, the phrase the processor is configured to measure "at least one of A or B" or "the processor is configured to measure A or measure B" means that the processor may be configured to measure A (and may or may not be configured to measure B), or may be configured to measure B (and may or may not be configured to measure A), or may be configured to measure A and measure B (and may be configured to select which one or both of A and B to measure). Similarly, the statement of a device for measuring at least one of A or B includes: a device for measuring A (which may or may not be able to measure B), or a device for measuring B (and may or may not be configured to measure A), or a device for measuring A and B (which may be able to select which one or both of A and B to measure). As another example, the statement that an item (e.g., a processor) is configured to perform at least one of function X or perform function Y means that the item may be configured to perform function X, or may be configured to perform function Y, or may be configured to perform function X and perform function Y. For example, the phrase the processor is configured to measure “at least one of X or Y” means that the processor may be configured to measure X (and may or may not be configured to measure Y), or may be configured to measure Y (and may or may not be configured to measure X), or may be configured to measure X and measure Y (and may be configured to select which or both of X and Y to measure).

[0127] As used herein, unless otherwise stated, a recitation that a function or operation is “based on” an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on the recited item or condition, and may be based on one or more items and / or conditions other than the recited item or condition.

[0128] Substantial variations may be made as required. For example, customized hardware may also be used, and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, in software executed by a processor (including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or in both. Further, connections to other computing devices (such as network input / output devices) may be employed. Unless otherwise indicated, components (functional or otherwise) shown in the figures and / or discussed herein as interconnected or communicating are communicatively coupled. That is, they may be connected directly or indirectly to enable communication therebetween.

[0129] The systems and devices discussed above are examples. Various configurations may appropriately omit, replace, or add various procedures or components. For example, features described with reference to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of a configuration may be combined in a similar manner. In addition, technology may evolve, and thus, many elements are examples, without limiting the scope of the present disclosure or claims.

[0130] A wireless communication system is a system in which communications are transmitted wirelessly, i.e., by electromagnetic waves and / or sound waves propagating through atmospheric space rather than by wires or other physical connections. A wireless communication network may not enable all communications to be transmitted wirelessly, but may be configured to enable at least some communications to be transmitted wirelessly. In addition, the term "wireless communication device" or similar terms does not require that the functionality of the device is exclusively or uniformly primarily used for communication, or that the device is a mobile device, but rather indicates that the device includes wireless communication capabilities (unidirectional or bidirectional), for example, including at least one radio (each radio is part of a transmitter, receiver or transceiver) for wireless communication.

[0131] Specific details are given in this specification to provide a thorough understanding of example configurations (including implementations). However, these configurations can be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown without unnecessary details to avoid confusing these configurations. This specification only provides example configurations and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims. On the contrary, the previous description of the configuration provides a description for implementing the technology. Various changes can be made to the functions and arrangements of the elements.

[0132] As used herein, the terms "processor-readable medium," "machine-readable medium," and "computer-readable medium" refer to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a particular manner. Using a computing platform, various processor-readable media may involve providing instructions / codes for execution to the processor(s), and / or may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / codes (e.g., as signals). In many implementations, processor-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical disks and / or magnetic disks. Volatile media include, but are not limited to, dynamic memory.

[0133] After describing several example configurations, various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used. For example, the above elements may be components of a larger system, in which other rules may take precedence over the application of the present disclosure or otherwise modify the application of the present invention. In addition, several operations may be taken before, during, or after considering the above elements. Accordingly, the above description does not limit the scope of the claims.

[0134] A statement that a value exceeds (or is greater than or higher than) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that a value meets or exceeds a second threshold that is slightly greater than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is one value higher than the first threshold in the resolution of the computing system. A statement that a value is less than (or within or below) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that a value is less than or equal to a second threshold that is slightly lower than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is one value lower than the first threshold in the resolution of the computing system.

[0135] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0136] Clause 1. A method for generating output based on contextual quality of service, comprising: obtaining input through a device module; determining a context indicator based on the input; determining the quality of service based at least in part on the context indicator; and generating output based at least in part on the input and the quality of service.

[0137] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the device module is an optical module and the input is an image.

[0138] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein the contextual indicator is an object in the image.

[0139] Clause 4. The method of clause 3, wherein the object in the image is one or more of: a plain text indicator, a quick response code, a visible light communication transmitting device, or any combination thereof.

[0140] Clause 5. The method of clause 1, wherein the device module is an acoustic module and the input is an acoustic input.

[0141] Clause 6. The method of clause 5, wherein the context indicator is an audio component within the acoustic input.

[0142] Clause 7. The method of clause 1, wherein the device module is a navigation module and the input comprises a radio frequency signal associated with terrestrial or satellite navigation.

[0143] Clause 8. The method of clause 7, wherein the context indicator is a positioning estimate based on the radio frequency signal.

[0144] Clause 9. The method of Clause 1, further comprising: determining a context condition; and receiving context indicator information and a quality of service rule based at least in part on the context condition.

[0145] Clause 10. The method of clause 9, wherein the contextual condition is one or more of: a geo-fenced area, a schedule item, a network identifier, a user state, an application state, or any combination thereof.

[0146] Clause 11. The method of clause 1, wherein generating the output comprises applying a digital rights management feature to the output.

[0147] Clause 12. A method for providing contextual quality of service information, comprising: detecting a contextual condition associated with a user equipment; determining one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules based at least in part on the contextual condition; and providing contextual quality of service information including the one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules to the user equipment.

[0148] Clause 13. The method of Clause 12, wherein detecting the contextual condition comprises receiving an indication of the contextual condition from a user equipment.

[0149] Clause 14. The method of Clause 12, wherein detecting the contextual condition comprises determining a location of the user equipment.

[0150] Clause 15. The method of clause 12, wherein the contextual quality of service information is provided in one or more non-access stratum or radio resource control messages.

[0151] Clause 16. The method of clause 12, wherein the one or more context indicators and the quality of service rules are associated with an optical module on the user equipment.

[0152] Clause 17. The method of Clause 16, wherein the contextual condition is a geographic area, and the one or more contextual indicators are one or more of: a plain text indicator, a quick response code, a visible light communication transmitting device, or any combination thereof.

[0153] Clause 18. The method of clause 16, wherein the quality of service rule comprises reducing the resolution of an image obtained by the optical module.

[0154] Clause 19. The method of Clause 12, wherein the one or more context indicators and the quality of service rules are associated with an acoustic module on the user equipment.

[0155] Clause 20. The method of Clause 19, wherein the contextual condition is a time duration, and the one or more contextual indicators include audio components within the acoustic input obtained by the acoustic module.

[0156] Clause 21. The method of clause 20, wherein the quality of service rule comprises reducing a sampling rate of an acoustic input obtained by the acoustic module or limiting an audio bandwidth of the acoustic input.

[0157] Clause 22. The method of Clause 12, wherein the one or more contextual indicators and the quality of service rules are associated with a navigation module on the user equipment.

[0158] Clause 23. The method of Clause 22, wherein the contextual condition is a time of day and the one or more contextual indicators include a current location of the user equipment.

[0159] Clause 24. The method of clause 23, wherein the quality of service rule comprises reducing the accuracy of the position estimate for the user equipment.

[0160] Clause 25. The method of Clause 12, wherein the one or more context indicators and the quality of service rules are associated with a communication module on the user equipment.

[0161] Clause 26. The method of clause 12, further comprising: receiving a media file from a user equipment; detecting a context indicator in the media file; and applying a quality of service rule based on the context indicator.

[0162] Clause 27. A method of operating a mobile device, comprising: determining an operating context for the mobile device based at least in part on a location of the mobile device, one or more preferences associated with a user of the mobile device, and context indicators detected by one or more modules in the mobile device; and enabling or disabling one or more capabilities of the mobile device based on the operating context.

[0163] Clause 28. The method of Clause 27, wherein the one or more modules include at least one of: an optical module, an acoustic module, a communication module, and a navigation module.

[0164] Clause 29. The method of clause 27, further comprising: reducing a quality of service of an enabled capability of the mobile device based on the operational context.

[0165] Clause 30. The method of Clause 27, wherein the contextual indicators detected by the one or more modules are contained in an image obtained by the camera.

[0166] Clause 31. The method of clause 30, wherein the image comprises at least one of: a plain text indicator, a quick response code, a visible light communication transmitting device, or any combination thereof.

[0167] Clause 32. The method of Clause 30, further comprising: storing a transformed image file of the image obtained by the camera, wherein a resolution of the transformed image file is based at least in part on the operational context.

[0168] Clause 33. The method of Clause 27, wherein the contextual indicator detected by the one or more modules is an acoustic input.

[0169] Clause 34. The method of clause 33, wherein the context indicator is an audio component within the acoustic input.

[0170] Clause 35. The method of clause 33, further comprising: storing an audio file based on the acoustic input, wherein a sampling rate of the audio file is based at least in part on the operational context.

[0171] Clause 36. The method of clause 27, wherein the contextual indicators detected by the one or more modules include one or more radio frequency signals associated with terrestrial or satellite navigation.

[0172] Clause 37. The method of Clause 27, further comprising: receiving contextual indicator information from a remote server based at least in part on a location of the mobile device and one or more preferences associated with a user of the mobile device.

[0173] Clause 38. The method of Clause 27, wherein the one or more preferences include privileges associated with the user.

[0174] Clause 39. The method of Clause 27, wherein the one or more preferences include a status of the user.

[0175] Clause 40. The method of clause 27, wherein enabling or disabling one or more capabilities comprises applying one or more quality of service rules associated with one or more of: a location of the mobile device, one or more preferences associated with a user of the mobile device, a contextual indicator, and any combination thereof.

[0176] Clause 41. An apparatus comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: obtain input through a device module; determine a context indicator based on the input; determine a quality of service based at least in part on the context indicator; and generate an output based at least in part on the input and the quality of service.

[0177] Clause 42. The apparatus of clause 41, wherein the device module is an optical module and the input is an image.

[0178] Clause 43. The apparatus of clause 42, wherein the contextual indicator is an object in the image.

[0179] Clause 44. The apparatus of clause 43, wherein the object in the image is one or more of: a plain text indicator, a quick response code, a visible light communication transmitting device, or any combination thereof.

[0180] Clause 45. The apparatus of clause 41, wherein the device module is an acoustic module and the input is an acoustic input.

[0181] Clause 46. The apparatus of clause 45, wherein the context indicator is an audio component within the acoustic input.

[0182] Clause 47. The apparatus of clause 41, wherein the equipment module is a navigation module and the input comprises a radio frequency signal associated with terrestrial or satellite navigation.

[0183] Clause 48. The apparatus of clause 47, wherein the context indicator is a positioning estimate based on the radio frequency signal.

[0184] Clause 49. The apparatus of Clause 41, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine a context condition; and receive context indicator information and a quality of service rule based at least in part on the context condition.

[0185] Clause 50. The apparatus of Clause 49, wherein the contextual condition is one or more of: a geo-fenced area, a schedule item, a network identifier, a user state, an application state, or any combination thereof.

[0186] Clause 51. The apparatus of clause 41, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: apply digital rights management features to the output.

[0187] Clause 52. An apparatus comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: detect context conditions associated with a user equipment; determine one or more context indicators and quality of service rules based at least in part on the context conditions; and provide context quality of service information including one or more context indicators and quality of service rules to the user equipment.

[0188] Clause 53. The apparatus of Clause 52, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive an indication of a contextual condition from a user equipment.

[0189] Clause 54. The apparatus of Clause 52, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine a location of the user equipment.

[0190] Clause 55. The apparatus of clause 52, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: provide the contextual quality of service information in one or more non-access stratum or radio resource control messages.

[0191] Clause 56. The apparatus of Clause 52, wherein the one or more context indicators and the quality of service rules are associated with an optical module on the user equipment.

[0192] Clause 57. The apparatus of Clause 56, wherein the contextual condition is a geographic area, and the one or more contextual indicators are one or more of: a plain text indicator, a quick response code, a visible light communication transmitting device, or any combination thereof.

[0193] Clause 58. The apparatus of clause 56, wherein the quality of service rule comprises reducing a resolution of an image obtained by the optical module.

[0194] Clause 59. The apparatus of Clause 52, wherein the one or more context indicators and the quality of service rules are associated with an acoustic module on the user equipment.

[0195] Clause 60. The apparatus of Clause 59, wherein the contextual condition is a duration of time, and the one or more contextual indicators include an audio component within the acoustic input obtained by the acoustic module.

[0196] Clause 61. The apparatus of clause 60, wherein the quality of service rule comprises reducing a sampling rate of an acoustic input obtained by the acoustic module or limiting an audio bandwidth of the acoustic input.

[0197] Clause 62. The apparatus of Clause 52, wherein the one or more contextual indicators and the quality of service rules are associated with a navigation module on the user equipment.

[0198] Clause 63. The apparatus of Clause 62, wherein the contextual condition is a time of day and the one or more contextual indicators include a current location of the user equipment.

[0199] Clause 64. The apparatus of Clause 63, wherein the quality of service rule comprises reducing the accuracy of the position estimate for the user equipment.

[0200] Clause 65. The apparatus of Clause 52, wherein the one or more context indicators and the quality of service rules are associated with a communication module on the user equipment.

[0201] Clause 66. The apparatus of Clause 52, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive a media file from a user equipment; detect a contextual indicator in the media file; and apply a quality of service rule based on the contextual indicator.

[0202] Clause 67. An apparatus comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: determine an operating context for a mobile device based at least in part on a location of the mobile device, one or more preferences associated with a user of the mobile device, and context indicators detected by one or more modules in the mobile device; and enable or disable one or more capabilities of the mobile device based on the operating context.

[0203] Clause 68. The device of Clause 67, wherein the one or more modules include at least one of: an optical module, an acoustic module, a communication module, and a navigation module.

[0204] Clause 69. The apparatus of Clause 67, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: reduce a quality of service of an enabled capability of the mobile device based on the operational context.

[0205] Clause 70. The apparatus of Clause 67, wherein the contextual indicators detected by the one or more modules are contained in an image obtained by the camera.

[0206] Clause 71. The apparatus of clause 70, wherein the image comprises at least one of: a plain text indicator, a quick response code, a visible light communication transmitting device, or any combination thereof.

[0207] Clause 72. The apparatus of clause 70, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: store an image file based on an image obtained by the camera, wherein a resolution of the image file is based at least in part on the operational context.

[0208] Clause 73. The apparatus of clause 67, wherein the contextual indicator detected by the one or more modules is an acoustic input.

[0209] Clause 74. The apparatus of clause 73, wherein the context indicator is an audio component within the acoustic input.

[0210] Clause 75. The apparatus of clause 73, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: store an audio file based on the acoustic input, wherein a sampling rate of the audio file is based at least in part on the operational context.

[0211] Clause 76. The apparatus of Clause 67, wherein the contextual indicators detected by the one or more modules include one or more radio frequency signals associated with terrestrial or satellite navigation.

[0212] Clause 77. The apparatus of Clause 67, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive contextual indicator information from a remote server based at least in part on a location of the mobile device and one or more preferences associated with a user of the mobile device.

[0213] Clause 78. The device of clause 67, wherein the one or more preferences include privileges associated with the user.

[0214] Clause 79. The device of clause 67, wherein the one or more preferences include a status of the user.

[0215] Clause 80. An apparatus as in Clause 67, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: apply one or more quality of service rules associated with one or more of the following to enable or disable one or more capabilities of the mobile device: the location of the mobile device, one or more preferences associated with a user of the mobile device, contextual indicators, and any combination thereof.

[0216] Clause 81. An apparatus for generating an output based on contextual quality of service, comprising: a device for obtaining input through a device module; a device for determining a context indicator based on the input; a device for determining the quality of service based at least in part on the context indicator; and a device for generating an output based at least in part on the input and the quality of service.

[0217] Clause 82. An apparatus for providing contextual quality of service information, comprising: a device for detecting contextual conditions associated with a user equipment; a device for determining one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules based at least in part on the contextual conditions; and a device for providing contextual quality of service information including one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules to the user equipment.

[0218] Clause 83. A mobile device comprising: a device for determining an operating context for the mobile device based at least in part on a location of the mobile device, one or more preferences associated with a user of the mobile device, and contextual indicators detected by one or more modules in the mobile device; and a device for enabling or disabling one or more capabilities of the mobile device based on the operating context.

[0219] Item 84. A non-volatile processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to generate output based on contextual quality of service, comprising code for: obtaining input through a device module; determining a context indicator based on the input; determining the quality of service based at least in part on the context indicator; and generating output based at least in part on the input and the quality of service.

[0220] Clause 85. A non-volatile processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to provide contextual quality of service information, comprising code for: detecting contextual conditions associated with user equipment; determining one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules based at least in part on the contextual conditions; and providing contextual quality of service information comprising one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules to the user equipment.

[0221] Item 86. A non-volatile processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to operate a mobile device, comprising code for: determining an operating context for the mobile device based at least in part on a location of the mobile device, one or more preferences associated with a user of the mobile device, and context indicators detected by one or more modules in the mobile device; and enabling or disabling one or more capabilities of the mobile device based on the operating context.

Claims

1. A method for generating output based on contextual quality of service, comprising: Get input through the device module; determining a contextual indicator based on the input; determining a quality of service based at least in part on the contextual indicator; as well as The output is generated based at least in part on the input and the quality of service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device module is an optical module and the input is an image. The method of claim 2 , wherein the contextual indicator is an object in the image. 4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the object in the image is one or more of: a plain text indicator, a quick response code, a visible light communication transmitting device, or any combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the device module is an acoustic module and the input is an acoustic input. The method of claim 5 , wherein the context indicator is an audio component within the acoustic input.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the device module is a navigation module and the input comprises a radio frequency signal associated with terrestrial or satellite navigation. The method of claim 7 , wherein the context indicator is based on a positioning estimate of the radio frequency signal.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Determine the contextual conditions; as well as Context indicator information and quality of service rules are received based at least in part on the context conditions.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the contextual condition is one or more of: a geo-fenced area, a schedule item, a network identifier, a user state, an application state, or any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the output comprises applying digital rights management features to the output.

12. A method for providing contextual quality of service information, comprising: detecting a contextual condition associated with a user equipment; determining one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules based at least in part on the contextual conditions; as well as Contextual quality of service information including the one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules is provided to the user equipment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein detecting the contextual condition comprises receiving an indication of the contextual condition from the user equipment. The method of claim 12 , wherein detecting the contextual condition comprises determining a location of the user equipment.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the contextual quality of service information is provided in one or more non-access stratum or radio resource control messages.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more context indicators and quality of service rules are associated with an optical module on the user equipment.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the contextual condition is a geographic area, and the one or more contextual indicators are one or more of: a plain text indicator, a quick response code, a visible light communication transmitting device, or any combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the quality of service rule comprises reducing the resolution of an image obtained by the optical module.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more context indicators and quality of service rules are associated with an acoustic module on the user equipment.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the contextual condition is a duration of time and the one or more contextual indicators include audio components within the acoustic input obtained by the acoustic module.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the quality of service rule comprises reducing a sampling rate of the acoustic input obtained by the acoustic module or limiting an audio bandwidth of the acoustic input.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules are associated with a navigation module on the user equipment.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the contextual condition is a time of day and the one or more contextual indicators include a current location of the user equipment.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the quality of service rule comprises reducing the accuracy of a position estimate for the user equipment.

25. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more context indicators and quality of service rules are associated with a communication module on the user equipment.

26. The method of claim 12, further comprising: receiving a media file from the user equipment; detecting a context indicator in the media file; as well as Quality of service rules are applied based on the contextual indicators.

27. A method of operating a mobile device, comprising: determining an operating context for the mobile device based at least in part on a location of the mobile device, one or more preferences associated with a user of the mobile device, and contextual indicators detected by one or more modules in the mobile device; as well as One or more capabilities of the mobile device are enabled or disabled based on the operational context.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the one or more modules include at least one of: an optical module, an acoustic module, a communication module, and a navigation module.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising: A quality of service of an enabled capability of the mobile device is reduced based on the operational context.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the contextual indicators detected by the one or more modules are contained in an image obtained by a camera.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the image comprises at least one of: a plain text indicator, a quick response code, a visible light communication transmitting device, or any combination thereof.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising: A transformed image file of the image obtained by the camera is stored, wherein a resolution of the transformed image file is based at least in part on the operational context.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein the contextual indicator detected by the one or more modules is an acoustic input.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the context indicator is an audio component within the acoustic input.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising: An audio file is stored based on the acoustic input, wherein a sampling rate of the audio file is based at least in part on the operational context.

36. The method of claim 27, wherein the contextual indicators detected by the one or more modules include one or more radio frequency signals associated with terrestrial or satellite navigation.

37. The method of claim 27, further comprising: Contextual indicator information is received from a remote server based at least in part on a location of the mobile device and the one or more preferences associated with the user of the mobile device.

38. The method of claim 27, wherein the one or more preferences include privileges associated with the user.

39. The method of claim 27, wherein the one or more preferences include a status of the user.

40. The method of claim 27, wherein enabling or disabling the one or more capabilities comprises applying one or more quality of service rules associated with one or more of: the location of the mobile device, the one or more preferences associated with the user of the mobile device, the contextual indicators, and any combination thereof.

41. An apparatus comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: Get input through the device module; determining a contextual indicator based on the input; determining a quality of service based at least in part on the contextual indicator; as well as An output is generated based at least in part on the input and the quality of service.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the device module is an optical module and the input is an image.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the contextual indicator is an object in the image.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the object in the image is one or more of: a plain text indicator, a quick response code, a visible light communication transmitting device, or any combination thereof.

45. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the device module is an acoustic module and the input is an acoustic input.

46. ​​The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the context indicator is an audio component within the acoustic input.

47. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the device module is a navigation module and the input comprises a radio frequency signal associated with terrestrial or satellite navigation.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the context indicator is based on a positioning estimate of the radio frequency signal.

49. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: Determine the contextual conditions; and Context indicator information and quality of service rules are received based at least in part on the context conditions.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the contextual condition is one or more of: a geo-fenced area, a schedule item, a network identifier, a user state, an application state, or any combination thereof.

51. An apparatus as described in claim 41, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: apply digital rights management features to the output.

52. An apparatus comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: detecting a contextual condition associated with a user equipment; determining one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules based at least in part on the contextual conditions; as well as Contextual quality of service information including the one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules is provided to the user equipment.

53. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive an indication of the contextual condition from the user equipment.

54. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a location of the user equipment.

55. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide the contextual quality of service information in one or more non-access stratum or radio resource control messages.

56. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the one or more context indicators and quality of service rules are associated with an optical module on the user equipment.

57. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein the contextual condition is a geographic area, and the one or more contextual indicators are one or more of: a plain text indicator, a quick response code, a visible light communication transmitting device, or any combination thereof.

58. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein the quality of service rule comprises reducing the resolution of an image obtained by the optical module.

59. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules are associated with an acoustic module on the user equipment.

60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the contextual condition is a duration of time and the one or more contextual indicators include audio components within an acoustic input obtained by the acoustic module.

61. The apparatus of claim 60, wherein the quality of service rule comprises reducing a sampling rate of the acoustic input obtained by the acoustic module or limiting an audio bandwidth of the acoustic input.

62. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the one or more contextual indicators and quality of service rules are associated with a navigation module on the user equipment.

63. The apparatus of claim 62, wherein the contextual condition is a time of day and the one or more contextual indicators include a current location of the user equipment.

64. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein the quality of service rule comprises reducing the accuracy of a position estimate for the user equipment.

65. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the one or more context indicators and quality of service rules are associated with a communication module on the user equipment.

66. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: receiving a media file from the user equipment; detecting a contextual indicator in the media file; and Quality of service rules are applied based on the contextual indicators.

67. An apparatus comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: determining an operating context for the mobile device based at least in part on a location of the mobile device, one or more preferences associated with a user of the mobile device, and contextual indicators detected by one or more modules in the mobile device; as well as One or more capabilities of the mobile device are enabled or disabled based on the operational context.

68. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the one or more modules include at least one of: an optical module, an acoustic module, a communication module, and a navigation module.

69. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to reduce a quality of service of an enabled capability of the mobile device based on the operational context.

70. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the contextual indicators detected by the one or more modules are contained in an image obtained by a camera.

71. The apparatus of claim 70, wherein the image comprises at least one of: a plain text indicator, a quick response code, a visible light communication transmitting device, or any combination thereof.

72. The apparatus of claim 70, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: store an image file based on the image obtained by the camera, wherein a resolution of the image file is based at least in part on the operating context.

73. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the contextual indicator detected by the one or more modules is an acoustic input.

74. The apparatus of claim 73, wherein the context indicator is an audio component within the acoustic input.

75. The apparatus of claim 73, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: store an audio file based on the acoustic input, wherein a sampling rate of the audio file is based at least in part on the operating context.

76. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the contextual indicators detected by the one or more modules include one or more radio frequency signals associated with terrestrial or satellite navigation.

77. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive contextual indicator information from a remote server based at least in part on the location of the mobile device and the one or more preferences associated with the user of the mobile device.

78. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the one or more preferences include privileges associated with the user.

79. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the one or more preferences include a status of the user.

80. An apparatus as described in claim 67, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: apply one or more quality of service rules associated with one or more of the following to enable or disable the one or more capabilities of the mobile device: the location of the mobile device, the one or more preferences associated with the user of the mobile device, the contextual indicators, and any combination thereof.

Images