Adaptive Sensor Activation and Configuration for Positioning - Patent application

Abstract

Aspects of sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network are disclosed. These aspects include determining, by the location server, during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting by the mobile device to the location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device (510), where the first trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for activating the reporting (530) and the second trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting (540). Aspects further include sending, from the location server to the mobile device, a message may comprise either instructions to activate the reporting in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met (550) or instructions to deactivate the reporting in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met (560).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly, to location or position determination. [Background technology]

[0002] Determining the location of a mobile device in a wireless communication network, often referred to as "positioning" the mobile device, may be performed using any of a variety of positioning techniques that use transmission and measurement of RF signals by the mobile device and / or a transmit receive point (TRP) of the wireless communication network. Other techniques for positioning a mobile device may include techniques that may not rely on the wireless communication network, such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based positioning or positioning using RF beacons. "Fusing" a positioning determination with sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device may be a method by which the location of the mobile device may be improved by providing additional accuracy, reliability, and the like. Such fusing is generally performed by the mobile device. However, providing sensor data from the mobile device to the network device for the network device to perform the fusing may result in, for example, inefficient use of bandwidth and / or processing resources. Summary of the Invention

[0003]

[0003] An example method of sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communications network according to the present disclosure comprises determining, by a location server, during a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting by the mobile device to the location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device, where the first trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for activating the reporting and the second trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting. The method may further comprise sending, from the location server to the mobile device, a message comprising either instructions to activate reporting in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met or instructions to deactivate reporting in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0004] An exemplary method of sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network according to the present disclosure comprises determining, by the mobile device, during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting by the mobile device to a location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device, where the first trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for activating the reporting, and the second trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting. The method further comprises sending a reporting message from the mobile device to the location server, where the reporting message either includes the sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, or omits the sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0005]

[0005] An exemplary location server enabling sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network according to the present disclosure comprises a transceiver, a memory, and one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The one or more processing units are configured to determine that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting by the mobile device to the location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, where the first trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for activating the reporting, and the second trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting. The one or more processing units are also configured to send, via the transceiver, to the mobile device, a message that may comprise either an instruction to activate the reporting in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, or an instruction to deactivate the reporting in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0006]

[0006] An exemplary mobile device, wireless transceiver, memory, and one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and memory that enable sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network according to the present disclosure. The one or more processing units are configured to determine that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met for reporting by the mobile device to the location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, where the first trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for activating the reporting, and the second trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting. The one or more processing units are also configured to send a report message to the location server via the wireless transceiver, where the report message either includes sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, or omits sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0007]

[0007] An exemplary device for sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network according to the present disclosure comprises means for determining that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting by the mobile device to a location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, where the first trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for activating the reporting and the second trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting. The device further comprises means for sending, to the mobile device, a message that may comprise either an instruction to activate the reporting in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met or an instruction to deactivate the reporting in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0008] Another exemplary device for sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network according to the present disclosure comprises means for determining that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting by the mobile device to a location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, where the first trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for activating the reporting and the second trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting. The device further comprises means for sending a report message to the location server, where the report message either includes the sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met or omits the sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0009]

[0009] An exemplary non-transitory computer-readable medium according to the present disclosure stores instructions for sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network. The instructions comprise code for determining that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting by the mobile device to a location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, where the first trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for activating the reporting, and the second trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting. The instructions further comprise code for sending from the location server to the mobile device, a message may comprise either an instruction to activate the reporting in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, or an instruction to deactivate the reporting in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0010]

[0010] Another exemplary non-transitory computer-readable medium according to the present disclosure stores instructions for sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network. The instructions comprise code for determining that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting by the mobile device to a location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, where the first trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for activating the reporting, and the second trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting. The instructions further comprise code for sending a report message from the mobile device to the location server, where the report message either includes sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, or omits sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1]

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a positioning system according to one embodiment. [Diagram 2]

[0012] FIG. 5 is a diagram of a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) positioning system illustrating one embodiment of a positioning system implemented within a 5G NR communication system (e.g., the positioning system of FIG. 1). [Diagram 3]

[0013] 1 is a diagram illustrating how data from various data sources can be fused to provide a combined positioning output to a mobile device. [Figure 4]

[0014] 4 is a call flow diagram illustrating communication exchanges that may take place during a positioning session between a mobile device and a location server, according to one embodiment. [Diagram 5]

[0015] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example logic flow that may be executed by a location server to provide adaptive sensor activation and configuration for positioning, according to one embodiment. [Figure 6]

[0016] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example logic flow that may be executed by a mobile device to provide adaptive sensor activation and configuration for positioning, according to one embodiment. [Figure 7]

[0017] 4 is a flow diagram of a method of sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network that may be implemented by a location server, according to one embodiment. [Figure 8]

[0018] 1 is a flow diagram of a method of sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network that may be implemented by a mobile device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 9]

[0019] 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a mobile device that may be utilized in the embodiments described herein. [Figure 10]

[0020] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a computer system that may be utilized in the embodiments described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012]

[0021] Like reference numbers in various figures indicate like elements according to some exemplary implementations. Furthermore, multiple instances of an element may be indicated by a first number for the element followed by a letter or a hyphen and a second number. For example, multiple instances of element 110 may be indicated as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, etc., or as 110a, 110b, 110c, etc. When referring to such an element using only the first number, any instance of the element should be understood (e.g., element 110 in the previous example refers to elements 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3, or to elements 110a, 110b, and 110c).

[0013]

[0022] The following description is directed to several implementations for purposes of illustrating the inventive aspects of the disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein may be applied in many different ways. The described implementations may be used to communicate within wireless, cellular, or Internet of Things (IoT) networks, such as systems utilizing 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, or further implementations thereof, including any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) IEEE 802.11 standards (including those identified as Wi-Fi technology), Bluetooth standard, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM / General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Based Radio (TETRA), Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO RevA, EV-DO RevA, EV-DO RevB, EV-DO RevC, EV-DO RevD ... It may be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according to any communications standard, such as RevB, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), High Rate Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Rate Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), 5G standards, or other known signals.

[0014]

[0023] As used herein, an "RF signal" comprises an electromagnetic wave that transports information through space between a transmitter (or transmitting device) and a receiver (or receiving device). As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through a multipath channel. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms "mobile device" and "user equipment (UE)" may be used interchangeably, although it will be understood that not all UEs may necessarily be mobile.

[0015]

[0024] As mentioned, fusing the sensor data of a mobile device with one or more position determinations for the mobile device can result in an improved position determination of the mobile device that may be more accurate and / or reliable than a position determination that is not fused with the sensor data. This may be because the sensor data may serve to provide additional data in cases where the sensor data is more accurate than other positioning techniques, where other position techniques suffer from outages or degradation in accuracy, where the sensor data is provided more frequently (e.g., several times per second), etc.

[0016]

[0025] Traditionally, fusing the sensor data of a mobile device with one or more position determinations is performed by the mobile device. Techniques that allow a network device (e.g., a location server) to perform the fusion have generally not been used because such techniques require the mobile device to send the sensor data to the network device, which can consume RF resources. Furthermore, such techniques can increase the energy consumption of the mobile device by activating the sensors themselves and transmitting data.

[0017]

[0026] The embodiments provided herein address these and other problems by enabling a mobile device to quickly switch between different modes of operation, activating one or more sensors as needed for positioning, and deactivating the one or more sensors in situations where data from those sensors may not be useful. Details regarding these embodiments are provided herein. However, first, for context, a description of a wireless communication network environment is provided.

[0018]

[0027] 1 is a simplified diagram of a positioning system 100 in which a mobile device 105, a location server 160, and / or other components of the positioning system 100 can use techniques provided herein for adaptive sensor activation and configuration, according to one embodiment. The techniques described herein may be implemented by one or more components of the positioning system 100. The positioning system 100 can include a mobile device 105, one or more satellites 110 (also referred to as space vehicles (SVs)) for a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such as Global Positioning System (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo, or Beidou, a base station 120, an access point (AP) 130, a location server 160, a network 170, and an external client 180. Generally speaking, the positioning system 100 can estimate the location of the mobile device 105 based on RF signals received by and / or sent from the mobile device 105 and known locations of other components (e.g., GNSS satellites 110, base stations 120, APs 130) that transmit and / or receive the RF signals. Further details regarding specific location estimation techniques are described in more detail with respect to Figure 2. In an LTE or 5G NR network (e.g., as shown in Figure 2), the mobile device 105 may be referred to as a user equipment (UE).

[0019]

[0028] It should be noted that FIG. 1 only provides a generalized view of the various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each of which may be replicated as necessary. In particular, while only one mobile device 105 is shown, it will be understood that many mobile devices / UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may utilize the positioning system 100. Similarly, the positioning system 100 may include a greater or lesser number of base stations 120 and / or APs 130 than are shown in FIG. 1. The illustrated connections connecting the various components in the positioning system 100 comprise data and signaling connections that may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, substituted, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality. In some embodiments, for example, the external client 180 may be directly connected to the location server 160. Those skilled in the art will recognize many modifications to the illustrated components.

[0020]

[0029] Depending on the desired functionality, the network 170 may comprise any of a variety of wireless and / or wireline networks. The network 170 may comprise any combination of, for example, public and / or private networks, local and / or wide area networks, etc. Additionally, the network 170 may utilize one or more wired and / or wireless communication technologies. In some embodiments, the network 170 may comprise, for example, a cellular or other mobile network, a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless wide area network (WWAN), and / or the Internet. Examples of the network 170 include a Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless network, a 5G wireless network (also referred to as a New Radio (NR) wireless network or a 5th Generation (5G) NR wireless network), a Wi-Fi WLAN, and the Internet. LTE, 5G, and NR are wireless technologies defined or being defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The network 170 may also include two or more networks and / or two or more types of networks.

[0021]

[0030] The base station 120 and the access point (AP) 130 are communicatively coupled to the network 170. In some embodiments, the base station 120 may be owned, maintained, and / or operated by a cellular network provider and may employ any of a variety of wireless technologies, as described herein below. Depending on the technology of the network 170, the base station 120 may comprise a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNode B or eNB), a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station (RBS), a NR Node B (gNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), etc. The base station 120, being a gNB or ng-eNB, may be part of a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) that may connect to a 5G core network (5GC) if the network 170 is a 5G network. The AP 130 may comprise, for example, a Wi-Fi AP or a Bluetooth AP. Thus, the mobile device 105 may send and receive information to and from a network-connected device, such as the location server 160, by accessing the network 170 via the base station 120 using the first communication link 133. Additionally or alternatively, the AP 130 may also be communicatively coupled to the network 170 so that the mobile device 105 may use the second communications link 135 to communicate with network- and Internet-connected devices, including the location server 160.

[0022]

[0031] The term "base station" as used herein may generally refer to a single physical transmission point or multiple co-located physical transmission points that may be located at a base station 120. A transmit receive point (TRP) (also known as a transmit / receive point) corresponds to this type of transmission point, and the term "TRP" may be used interchangeably with the terms "gNB", "ng-eNB", and "base station" herein. In some cases, a base station 120 may comprise multiple TRPs, e.g., each TRP associated with a different antenna or different antenna array for the base station 120. A physical transmission point may comprise an array of antennas at the base station 120 (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system and / or when the base station employs beamforming). The term "base station" may further refer to multiple non-co-located physical transmission points, which may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station).

[0023]

[0032] The term "cell" as used herein may generally refer to a logical communication entity used for communication with base station 120 and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCID), virtual cell identifier (VCID)) to distinguish neighboring cells operating over the same or different carriers. In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communications (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), etc.) that may provide access to different types of devices. In some cases, the term "cell" may refer to a portion (e.g., a sector) of a geographic coverage area in which the logical entity operates.

[0024]

[0033] The location server 160 may comprise a server and / or other computing devices configured to determine an estimated location of the mobile device 105 and / or provide data (e.g., “assistance data”) to the mobile device 105 for facilitating location measurements and / or location determinations by the mobile device 105. According to some embodiments, the location server 160 may comprise a Home SUPL Location Platform (H-SLP) that may support a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) User Plane (UP) location solution defined by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) and may support location services for the mobile device 105 based on subscription information for the mobile device 105 stored in the location server 160. In some embodiments, the location server 160 may comprise a Discovery SLP (D-SLP) or an Emergency SLP (E-SLP). The location server 160 may also comprise an Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) that supports location of the mobile device 105 using a Control Plane (CP) location solution for LTE wireless access by the mobile device 105. The location server 160 may further comprise a location management function (LMF) that supports the location of the mobile device 105 using a control plane (CP) location solution for NR or LTE radio access by the mobile device 105.

[0025]

[0034] In a CP location solution, signaling for controlling and managing the location of the mobile device 105 may be exchanged between elements of the network 170 and with the mobile device 105 using existing network interfaces and protocols, and as signaling from the perspective of the network 170. In a UP location solution, signaling for controlling and managing the location of the mobile device 105 may be exchanged between the location server 160 and the mobile device 105 as data from the perspective of the network 170 (e.g., data transported using Internet Protocol (IP) and / or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)).

[0026]

[0035] As mentioned above (and described in more detail below), the estimated location of the mobile device 105 may be based on measurements of RF signals sent from and / or received by the mobile device 105. In particular, these measurements may provide information regarding the relative distance and / or angle of the mobile device 105 from one or more components (e.g., GNSS satellites 110, APs 130, base stations 120) in the positioning system 100. The estimated location of the mobile device 105 may be estimated geometrically (e.g., using multiangulation and / or multilateration) based on the distance and / or angle measurements along with the known positions of the one or more components.

[0027]

[0036] Terrestrial components such as APs 130 and base stations 120 may be fixed, although embodiments are not so limited. Mobile components may be used. For example, in some embodiments, the location of a mobile device 105 may be estimated based at least in part on measurements of RF signals 140 communicated between the mobile device 105 and one or more other mobile devices 145, which may be mobile or fixed. When one or more other mobile devices 145 are used in position determination of a particular mobile device 105, the mobile device 105 whose location is to be determined may be referred to as a "target" or "target UE" and each of the one or more other mobile devices 145 used may be referred to as an "anchor" or "anchor UE". For position determination of a target UE, the respective locations of the one or more anchor UEs may be known and / or may be determined together with the target UE. Direct communication between one or more other mobile devices 145 and the mobile device 105 may comprise sidelink and / or similar device-to-device (D2D) communication technologies. Sidelink, as defined by 3GPP, is a form of D2D communication under cellular-based LTE and NR standards.

[0028]

[0037] The estimated location of the mobile device 105 may be used in various applications, such as to assist direction finding or navigation for a user of the mobile device 105 or to assist another user (e.g., associated with the external client 180) in locating the mobile device 105. As used herein, "location" may also be referred to as a "location estimate," "estimated location," "location," "position," "position estimate," "position fix," "estimated position," "location fix," or "fix." The process of determining a location may be referred to as a "positioning," "position determination," "location determination," or the like. The location of the mobile device 105 may comprise an absolute location of the mobile device 105 (e.g., latitude and longitude and possibly an altitude) or a relative location of the mobile device 105 (e.g., a location expressed as a distance north or south, east or west, and possibly above or below some other location, such as some other known fixed location or a location for the mobile device 105 at some known prior time). A location may be specified as a geodetic location comprising coordinates that may be absolute (e.g., latitude, longitude and possibly altitude), relative (e.g., relative to some known absolute location), or local (e.g., X, Y and possibly Z coordinates according to a coordinate system defined for a local area such as a factory, warehouse, university campus, shopping mall, sports stadium or convention center, etc.) A location may instead be a civic location, in which case it may comprise one or more of a street address (e.g., including a country, state, county, city, name or label for a road and / or street, and / or road or street number), and / or a label or name for a place, a building, a part of a building, a floor of a building, and / or a room within a building, etc.The location may further include an indication of uncertainty or error, such as the horizontal and possibly vertical distance that the location is expected to be incorrect, or an indication of an area or volume (e.g., a circle or ellipse) in which the mobile device 105 is expected to be located with some level of confidence (e.g., 95% confidence).

[0029]

[0038] The external client 180 may be a web server or remote application that may have some association with the mobile device 105 (e.g., that may be accessed by a user of the mobile device 105), or may be a server, application, or computer system that provides location services to some other user or users that may include obtaining and providing the location of the mobile device 105 (e.g., to enable services such as friend or kin finder, asset tracking, or child or pet location). Additionally or alternatively, the external client 180 may obtain the location of the mobile device 105 and provide it to an emergency service provider, a government agency, or the like.

[0030]

[0039] As mentioned above, the exemplary positioning system 100 may be implemented using a wireless communication network, such as an LTE-based or 5G NR-based network. FIG. 2 shows a diagram of a 5G NR positioning system 200 illustrating one embodiment of a positioning system (e.g., the positioning system 100) implementing 5G NR. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may be configured to determine a location of a UE 205 (which may correspond to a mobile device 105 in FIG. 1 ) by using access nodes 210, 214, 216 (which may correspond to base stations 120 and access points 130 in FIG. 1 ) and (in some cases) an LMF 220 (which may correspond to a location server 160) to implement one or more positioning methods. Here, the 5G NR positioning system 200 comprises the UE 205 and components of a 5G NR network, including a Next Generation (NG) Radio Access Network (RAN) (NG-RAN) 235 and a 5G Core Network (5G CN) 240. The 5G network may be referred to as an NR network, the NG-RAN 235 may be referred to as a 5G RAN or NR RAN, and the 5G CN 240 may be referred to as an NG core network. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may further utilize information from GNSS satellites 110 from a GNSS system such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) or similar systems (e.g., GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)). Additional components of the 5G NR positioning system 200 are described below. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may include additional or alternative components.

[0031]

[0040] It should be noted that FIG. 2 only provides a generalized view of the various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each of which may be duplicated or omitted as necessary. In particular, while only one UE 205 is shown, it will be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may utilize the 5G NR positioning system 200. Similarly, the 5G NR positioning system 200 may include a greater (or lesser) number of GNSS satellites 110, gNBs 210, ng-eNBs 214, wireless local area networks (WLANs) 216, access and mobility management functions (AMFs) 215, external clients 230, and / or other components. The illustrated connections connecting the various components in the 5G NR positioning system 200 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Further, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, substituted, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality.

[0032]

[0041] The UE 205 may comprise and / or be referred to as a device, a mobile device, a wireless device, a mobile terminal, a terminal, a mobile station (MS), a secure user plane location (SUPL)-enabled terminal (SET), or by some other name. Moreover, the UE 205 may correspond to a cell phone, a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tracking device, a navigation device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, or some other portable or movable device. Generally, although not necessarily, the UE 205 may support wireless communications using one or more radio access technologies (RATs), such as using GSM, CDMA, W-CDMA, LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 5G NR (e.g., using NG-RAN 235 and 5G CN 240), and the like. The UE 205 may also support wireless communications using a WLAN 216, which may connect to other networks, such as the Internet (as with one or more RATs and as described above with respect to FIG. 1). Use of one or more of these RATs may enable the UE 205 to communicate with and / or receive location information regarding the UE 205 (e.g., via elements of the 5G CN 240 not shown in FIG. 2 or possibly via a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 225) external clients 230. The external clients 230 of FIG. 2 may correspond to the external clients 180 of FIG. 1 implemented in or communicatively coupled to a 5G NR network.

[0033]

[0042] The UE 205 may include a single entity, or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network where a user may employ audio, video and / or data I / O devices and / or body sensors and a separate wireline or wireless modem. An estimate of the location of the UE 205 may be referred to as a location, location estimate, location fix, fix, position, position estimate, or position fix, and may be geodetic and thus provide location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) for the UE 205 that may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., height above sea level, height above or below earth's surface, floor level or basement level). Alternatively, the location of the UE 205 may be expressed as a civic location (e.g., as a postal address or as a designation of some point or small area in a building, such as a particular room or floor). The location of the UE 205 may also be expressed as an area or volume (defined either geodetically or in urban form) within which the UE 205 is expected to be located with some probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of the UE 205 may further be a relative location with distance and direction or relative X, Y (and Z) coordinates defined relative to some origin in a known location, which may be defined, for example, geodetically, with respect to a city, or by reference to a point, area, or volume shown on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, use of the term location may comprise any of these variations unless otherwise specified. When calculating the location of a UE, it is common to determine the values ​​of local X, Y, and possibly Z coordinates and then convert the local coordinates to absolute coordinates (e.g., for latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level) if necessary.

[0034]

[0043] The base stations in the NG-RAN 235 shown in FIG. 2 may correspond to the base stations 120 in FIG. 1 and may include NR Node Bs (gNBs) 210-1 and 210-2 (collectively and generically referred to herein as gNBs 210). A pair of gNBs 210 in the NG-RAN 235 may be connected to each other (e.g., directly as shown in FIG. 2 or indirectly via other gNBs 210). Access to the 5G network is provided to the UE 205 via wireless communications between the UE 205 and one or more of the gNBs 210, which may provide wireless communications access to the 5G CN 240 for the UE 205 using 5G NR. 5G NR radio access may also be referred to as NR radio access or 5G radio access. In FIG. 2, the serving gNB for UE 205 is assumed to be gNB 210-1, but other gNBs (e.g., gNB 210-2) may act as serving gNBs if UE 205 moves to another location or may act as secondary gNBs to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 205.

[0035]

[0044] The base stations in the NG-RAN 235 shown in FIG. 2 may also or instead include next generation evolved node Bs 214, also referred to as ng-eNBs. The ng-eNBs 214 may be connected to one or more gNBs 210 in the NG-RAN 235, e.g., directly or indirectly via other gNBs 210 and / or other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNBs 214 may provide LTE wireless access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) wireless access to the UE 205. Some gNBs 210 (e.g., gNB 210-2) and / or ng-eNBs 214 in FIG. 2 may be configured to function as positioning-only beacons that may transmit signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) and / or broadcast assistance data to assist in positioning the UE 205, but may not receive signals from the UE 205 or other UEs. Note that while only one ng-eNB 214 is shown in FIG. 2, some embodiments may include multiple ng-eNBs 214. The base stations 210, 214 may communicate directly with each other via an Xn communication interface. Additionally or alternatively, the base stations 210, 214 may communicate directly or indirectly with other components of the 5G NR positioning system 200, such as the LMF 220 and the AMF 215.

[0036]

[0045] The 5G NR positioning system 200 may also include one or more WLANs 216 that may connect to a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) 250 in the 5G CN 240 (e.g., in case of an untrusted WLAN 216). For example, the WLANs 216 may support IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi access for the UE 205 and may comprise one or more Wi-Fi APs (e.g., AP 130 of FIG. 1). Here, the N3IWF 250 may connect to other elements in the 5G CN 240, such as the AMF 215. In some embodiments, the WLANs 216 may support another RAT, such as Bluetooth. The N3IWF 250 may provide support for secure access by the UE 205 to other elements in the 5G CN 240 and / or support interworking of one or more protocols used by the WLANs 216 and the UE 205 to one or more protocols used by other elements of the 5G CN 240, such as the AMF 215. For example, the N3IWF 250 may support IPSec tunnel establishment with the UE 205, termination of IKEv2 / IPSec protocols with the UE 205, termination of the N2 and N3 interfaces to the 5G CN 240 for the control plane and user plane, respectively, relaying uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) control plane non-access stratum (NAS) signaling between the UE 205 and the AMF 215 across the N1 interface. In some other embodiments, the WLAN 216 may directly connect to an element in the 5G CN 240 (e.g., the AMF 215 as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2) without going through the N3IWF 250. For example, the direct connection of the WLAN 216 to the 5G CN 240 may be made when the WLAN 216 is a trusted WLAN for the 5G CN 240 and may be enabled using a Trusted WLAN Interworking Function (TWIF), which may be an element in the WLAN 216 (not shown in FIG. 2). It should be noted that although only one WLAN 216 is shown in FIG. 2, some embodiments may include multiple WLANs 216.

[0037]

[0046] An access node may comprise any of a variety of network entities that enable communication between the UE 205 and the AMF 215. This may include a gNB 210, an ng-eNB 214, a WLAN 216, and / or other types of cellular base stations. However, an access node providing the functionality described herein may additionally or alternatively include entities that enable communication to any of a variety of RATs not shown in FIG. 2, which may include non-cellular technologies. Thus, the term "access node" as used in the embodiments described herein below may include, but is not necessarily limited to, a gNB 210, an ng-eNB 214, or a WLAN 216.

[0038]

[0047] In some embodiments, an access node such as the gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, or WLAN 216 (alone or in combination with other components of the 5G NR positioning system 200) may be configured to obtain location measurements of uplink (UL) signals (received from the UE 205) in response to receiving a request for location information from the LMF 220, and / or obtain downlink (DL) location measurements from the UE 205 obtained by the UE 205 for DL ​​signals received by the UE 205 from one or more access nodes. As mentioned, although FIG. 2 illustrates access nodes 210, 214, and 216 configured to communicate according to 5G NR, LTE, and Wi-Fi communication protocols, respectively, access nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols may be used, such as, for example, a Node B using a WCDMA protocol for a Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), an eNB using an LTE protocol for an Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), or Bluetooth Beacons using a Bluetooth protocol for a WLAN. For example, in a 4G Evolved Packet System (EPS) providing LTE wireless access to the UE 205, the RAN may comprise an E-UTRAN, which may comprise base stations with eNBs supporting LTE wireless access. The core network for the EPS may comprise an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The EPS may then comprise an E-UTRAN+EPC, where the E-UTRAN corresponds to the NG-RAN 235 and the EPC corresponds to the 5G CN 240 in FIG. 2. The methods and techniques described herein for obtaining a urban location for the UE 205 may be applicable to such other networks.

[0039]

[0048] The gNB 210 and ng-eNB 214 may communicate with an AMF 215, which communicates with the LMF 220, for positioning functions. The AMF 215 may support mobility of the UE 205, including cell changes and handovers of the UE 205 from a first RAT access node 210, 214, or 216 to a second RAT access node 210, 214, or 216. The AMF 215 may also participate in supporting signaling connections to the UE 205 and possibly data and voice bearers for the UE 205. The LMF 220 may support positioning of the UE 205 using a CP location solution when the UE 205 accesses the NG-RAN 235 or the WLAN 216, and may support position procedures and methods including UE-assisted / UE-based and / or network-based procedures / methods, such as Aided GNSS (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) (sometimes referred to as Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) in NR), Real Time Kinematic (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cell ID (ECID), Angle of Arrival (AOA), Angle of Departure (AOD), WLAN positioning, Round Trip Signal Propagation Delay (RTT), Multi-cell RTT, and / or other positioning procedures and methods. The LMF 220 may also process location service requests for the UE 205, for example, received from the AMF 215 or the GMLC 225. The LMF 220 may be connected to the AMF 215 and / or the GMLC 225. In some embodiments, a network such as the 5G CN240 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as an Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) or a SUPL Location Platform (SLP).It should be noted that in some embodiments, at least a portion of the positioning functions (including determining the location of UE205) may be performed in UE205 (e.g., by measuring downlink PRS (DL-PRS) signals transmitted by wireless nodes such as gNB210, ng-eNB214 and / or WLAN216 and / or using assistance data provided to UE205 by, for example, LMF220).

[0040]

[0049] The gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 225 may support location requests for the UE 205 received from the external client 230 and may forward such location requests to the AMF 215 for forwarding by the AMF 215 to the LMF 220. A location response from the LMF 220 (e.g., including a location estimate for the UE 205) may similarly be returned to the GMLC 225 either directly or via the AMF 215, which may then return a location response (e.g., including the location estimate) to the external client 230.

[0041]

[0050] A Network Exposure Function (NEF) 245 may be included in the 5G CN 240. The NEF 245 may support secure exposure of capabilities and events related to the 5G CN 240 and the UE 205 to the external client 230, which may then be referred to as an Access Function (AF), and may enable secure provision of information from the external client 230 to the 5G CN 240. The NEF 245 may be connected to the AMF 215 and / or the GMLC 225 for the purpose of obtaining the location (e.g., a civic location) of the UE 205 and providing the location to the external client 230.

[0042]

[0051] As further shown in FIG. 2, the LMF 220 may communicate with the gNB 210 and / or the ng-eNB 214 using the NR Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa) defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.445. NRPPa messages may be transferred between the gNB 210 and the LMF 220 and / or between the ng-eNB 214 and the LMF 220 via the AMF 215. As further shown in FIG. 2, the LMF 220 and the UE 205 may communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) defined in 3GPP TS 37.355. Here, LPP messages may be transferred between the UE 205 and the LMF 220 via the AMF 215 and the serving gNB 210-1 or the serving ng-eNB 214 for the UE 205. For example, LPP messages may be transferred between the LMF 220 and the AMF 215 using messages for service-based operations (e.g., based on HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)) and between the AMF 215 and the UE 205 using 5G NAS protocols. The LPP protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 205 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based position methods such as A-GNSS, RTK, TDOA, multi-cell RTT, AOD, and / or ECID. The NRPPa protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 205 using network-based position methods such as ECID, AOA, uplink TDOA (UL-TDOA), and / or may be used by the LMF 220 to obtain location related information from the gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214, such as parameters defining DL-PRS transmissions from the gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214.

[0043]

[0052] In the case of UE 205 access to WLAN 216, LMF 220 may use NRPPa and / or LPP to obtain the location of UE 205 in a similar manner as just described for UE 205 access to gNB 210 or ng-eNB 214. Thus, NRPPa messages may be forwarded between WLAN 216 and LMF 220 via AMF 215 and N3IWF 250 to support network-based positioning of UE 205 and / or forwarding of other location information from WLAN 216 to LMF 220. Alternatively, NRPPa messages may be forwarded between N3IWF 250 and LMF 220 via AMF 215 to support network-based positioning of UE 205 based on location related information and / or location measurements known to or accessible to N3IWF 250 and forwarded from N3IWF 250 to LMF 220 using NRPPa. Similarly, LPP and / or LPP messages may be transferred between the UE 205 and the LMF 220 via the AMF 215, the N3IWF 250, and the serving WLAN 216 for the UE 205 to support UE-assisted or UE-based positioning of the UE 205 by the LMF 220.

[0044]

[0053] In a 5G NR positioning system 200, positioning methods may be categorized as being "UE-assisted" or "UE-based". This may depend on where the request to determine the position of the UE 205 originates. For example, if the request originates at the UE (e.g., from an application, or "app," executed by the UE), the positioning method may be categorized as being UE-based. On the other hand, if the request originates from an external client or the AF 230, the LMF 220, or other devices or services within the 5G network, the positioning method may be categorized as being UE-assisted (or "network-based").

[0045]

[0054] In a UE-assisted location method, the UE 205 may obtain location measurements and send the measurements to a location server (e.g., the LMF 220) for computation of a location estimate for the UE 205. In a RAT-dependent location method, the location measurements may include one or more of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), a reference signal received power (RSRP), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), an AOA, a received time-transmitted time difference (Rx-Tx), a differential AOA (DAOA), an AOD, or a timing advance (TA) for one or more access points for the gNB 210, the ng-eNB 214, and / or the WLAN 216. Additionally or alternatively, similar measurements of sidelink signals transmitted by other UEs that may serve as anchor points for positioning of the UE 205 may be made if the locations of the other UEs are known. The location measurements may also or instead include measurements for RAT-independent positioning methods, such as GNSS (e.g., GNSS pseudorange, GNSS code phase, and / or GNSS carrier phase for GNSS satellites 110), WLAN, etc.

[0046]

[0055] In a UE-based location method, the UE 205 may obtain location measurements (which may be the same or similar to location measurements for a UE-assisted location method, for example) and may further calculate the location of the UE 205 (e.g., with the help of assistance data received from a location server such as the LMF 220, an SLP, or broadcast by the gNB 210, the ng-eNB 214, or the WLAN 216).

[0047]

[0056] In a network-based location method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB210 and / or ng-eNB214), one or more APs (e.g., in WLAN216), or N3IWF250 may obtain location measurements (e.g., RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, or TOA measurements) for signals transmitted by UE205 and / or receive measurements obtained by UE205 or, in the case of N3IWF250, by APs in WLAN216 and send those measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF220) for calculation of a location estimate for UE205.

[0048]

[0057] The positioning of the UE 205 may also be categorized as UL, DL, or DL-UL based depending on the type of signal used for positioning. For example, if the positioning is based only on signals received at the UE 205 (e.g., from a base station or other UE), the positioning may be categorized as DL based. On the other hand, if the positioning is based only on signals transmitted by the UE 205 (e.g., may be received by a base station or other UE), the positioning may be categorized as UL based. Positioning that is DL-UL based includes positioning that is based on signals both transmitted and received by the UE 205, such as RTT-based positioning. Sidelink (SL)-assisted positioning comprises signals communicated between the UE 205 and one or more other UEs. According to some embodiments, the UL, DL, or DL-UL positioning described herein may be capable of using SL signaling as a supplement or replacement for SL, DL, or DL-UL signaling.

[0049]

[0058] Depending on the type of positioning (e.g., UL, DL, or DL-UL based), the type of reference signal used may vary. For example, in DL-based positioning, these signals may comprise PRS (e.g., DL-PRS transmitted by the base station or SL-PRS transmitted by other UEs) that may be used for TDOA, AOD, and RTT measurements. Other reference signals that may be used for positioning (UL, DL, or DL-UL) may include Sounding Reference Signals (SRS), Channel State Information Reference Signals (CSI-RS), Synchronization Signals (e.g., Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) Synchronization Signals (SS)), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), Demodulation Reference Signals (DMRS), etc. Moreover, the reference signal may be transmitted in the Tx beam and / or received in the Rx beam (e.g., using beamforming techniques), which may affect angle measurements such as AOD and / or AOA.

[0050]

[0059] As mentioned above, positioning of a mobile device (e.g., mobile device 105 and / or UE 205) may be performed using various positioning methods. The term "RAT-dependent" or "RAT-based" positioning as used herein generally refers to SL, UL, DL, or DL-UL based positioning in a data communication network as described above. Other forms of positioning, referred to herein as "RAT-independent" positioning, may include other forms of positioning, including GNSS-based positioning, sensor-based positioning, and / or positioning using Bluetooth (and / or other RF) beacons, RF signals from WLANs, etc. As further mentioned, sensor "fusion," or fusion of sensor data from a mobile device with one or more of these positioning techniques, may improve the positioning performance of legacy positioning techniques. A more detailed indication of the types of data that may be fused to provide this improved positioning determination for a mobile device is provided in FIG. 3.

[0051]

[0060] 3 is a block diagram illustrating types of data that may be used to provide improved positioning determinations, according to an embodiment, where blocks 310-360 illustrate various data sources, many or all of which may be derived from hardware and / or software components of the mobile device, as described in more detail below. Alternative embodiments may include additional or alternative data sources, depending on the desired functionality.

[0052]

[0061] RAT dependent positioning 310 may comprise position determination of a mobile device using SL, UL, DL, or DL-UL based positioning in a data communications network, as described above. In UE based positioning, the position of the mobile device may be determined by the mobile device itself, in which case the mobile device itself may act as a source of RAT dependent positioning 310. In UE assisted positioning, the position of the mobile device may be determined by a network device, such as a location server, in which case the network device may act as a source of RAT dependent positioning 310.

[0053]

[0062] The RAT-independent positioning 315 may comprise one or more different types of positioning that may not rely on a wireless case network, as previously indicated. This may include GNSS-based positioning 320, WLAN-based positioning 325, and / or Bluetooth-based positioning 330. Each positioning type may provide its own position determination of the mobile device and may be performed by the mobile device itself. Some forms of RAT-independent positioning 315 (e.g., standard GNSS-based positioning 320, and / or Bluetooth-based positioning using Bluetooth beacons 330) may be performed by the mobile device without communicating to other devices. Additionally or alternatively, some forms of RAT-independent positioning 315 (e.g., GNSS-based positioning using real-time kinematic (RTK) corrections 320, WLAN-based positioning using RTT-based measurements 325, etc.) may involve the mobile device communicating with other devices.

[0054]

[0063] The sensor data 335 may be extracted from any of the various sensors of the mobile device as shown in FIG. Alternate embodiments may include additional or alternative types of sensors depending on the desired functionality. As shown, the sensor data 335 may include data, a motion sensor 340 (e.g., an inertial measurement unit (IMU)), a barometer 345, a magnetometer 350, an altimeter 355, and / or a camera 360. Depending on the desired functionality, the sensor data 335 provided to the fusion logic 380 may comprise raw sensor data and / or data derived therefrom. In some embodiments, for example, the sensor data 335 may include absolute or relative position, displacement in one or more directions (e.g., during a time window and / or from a previous time point), change in orientation (e.g., rotation), acceleration, etc.

[0055]

[0064] The fusion logic 380 may comprise a positioning engine capable of providing a composite positioning output using multiple sources of data, including one or more positioning methods (e.g., RAT-dependent positioning 310 and / or RAT-independent positioning 315) and sensor data 335 from one or more sensors. When determining how to use each input, different weighting techniques may be used, where additional weight may be given, for example, to more reliable and / or accurate sources. In some embodiments, the fusion logic 380 may comprise an extended Kalman filter (EKF) and / or other Kalman filters, weighted least squares (WLS), Hatch filters, particle filters, etc. The fusion logic 380 may be executed in software, for example, by one or more processing units.

[0056]

[0065] As mentioned, the mobile device itself may execute the fusion logic 380 to provide a composite positioning output for UE-based positioning, in which case the mobile device determines its own location. However, in UE-assisted positioning, in which case the location server determines the location of the mobile device and sending sensor data from the mobile device to the location server may create inefficiencies. This is described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 4.

[0057]

[0066] 4 is a call flow diagram illustrating a basic exchange of Assistance Data (AD) and reports between a mobile device 105 (e.g., UE 205) and a location server 160 (e.g., LMF 220) during a positioning session for UE-assisted positioning, according to one embodiment. This may represent, for example, an LPP positioning session between a mobile device 105 and a location server 160, although embodiments are not necessarily limited to LPP positioning. Additionally, it will be appreciated that additional information may be exchanged depending on the type of positioning performed, the protocol used, and / or other factors.

[0058]

[0067] Arrow 410 indicates that a positioning session between mobile device 105 and location server 160 is initiated. In a UE-assisted positioning of mobile device 105, location server 160 may contact mobile device 105 to initiate a positioning session. Preliminary information may also be exchanged, such as capabilities of mobile device 105 and / or location server 160. The initiation of the positioning session at arrow 410 may further indicate a type of positioning to be performed, which may be based on capabilities. This may include a positioning type for which measurement information taken by mobile device 105 should be reported back to location server 160. Such positioning types may include, for example, multi-RTT positioning, DL-AoD positioning, DL-TDOA positioning, Extended Cell ID (E-CID) positioning, and / or UL positioning.

[0059]

[0068] In instances where the mobile device 105 may need configuration information regarding reference signals (e.g., PRS resources), the location server 160 may provide assistance data to the mobile device 105, which may be in response to a request from the mobile device for assistance data. This exchange is indicated by the double arrow 420.

[0060]

[0069] The location server 160 may then request location information, as indicated at arrow 430. The location information may include measurements taken of PRS resources identified in the assistance data and / or other location-related data, which is obtained by the mobile device 105, as indicated at block 440. These measurement / data(s) are included in location information sent from the mobile device 105 to the location server 160, as indicated by arrow 450. (More generally, a message from the mobile device 105 to the location server that includes the measurement / data(s) may be referred to herein as a “report” or “measurement report.”) Using this information, the location server 160 then determines the mobile device location, as indicated at block 480.

[0061]

[0070] As further indicated by arrow 470, functions 440, 450, and 460 may be repeated during a positioning session. That is, during a given positioning session, the mobile device 105 may repeat the process of obtaining and providing measurements / data, which it may do at a configured repetition rate / periodicity. In response thereto, the location server 160 may correspondingly update the calculated position of the mobile device 105. Depending on the desired functionality, the location server 160 may determine a single device location or may determine multiple device locations (e.g., updated locations) based on these repetitions. According to some embodiments, additional assistance data exchanges and / or location information requests may also be performed during a positioning session between the mobile device 105 and the location server 160.

[0062]

[0071] The sensor data may be provided by the mobile device 105 to the location server 160 (e.g., in a Send Location Information message, and / or other messages) to enable the location server to determine an enhanced mobile device location by fusing the sensor data with other location information. However, traditional techniques for enabling reporting of sensor data in a location session between the mobile device 105 and the location server 160 do not have a way to deactivate reporting of sensor data over the course of a positioning session. Instead, when activated, reporting of sensor data is reported by the mobile device throughout the positioning session (e.g., at each repetition of the Provide Location Information message, at arrow 450), regardless of whether the sensor data remains useful. As mentioned above, transmission of sensor data may consume RF resources, and use of sensors and reporting of sensor data may increase power consumption by the mobile device 105. Thus, if the sensor data is inaccurate or erroneous, it may incur these drawbacks without providing the added benefit of enhanced mobile device location.

[0063]

[0072] To address these and other issues, embodiments provide adaptive sensor activation and deactivation, where the mobile device 105 and / or location server 160 may activate and deactivate sensor data reporting by the mobile device 105. Switching between these operating modes (active and inactive) may occur quickly during a positioning session between the mobile device 105 and the location server 160. Thus, the mobile device 105 and / or location server 160 may dynamically activate and deactivate sensor data reporting by the mobile device 105 as needed to adapt to changing conditions that may affect the positioning of the mobile device during a positioning session. In particular, if the sensor data may not provide a benefit to improve the positioning of the mobile device 105, the sensor data reporting by the mobile device 105 may be deactivated to save RF resources and battery consumption of transmitting this data. Additionally, the mobile device may deactivate the sensors themselves if the sensors are not otherwise being used by other functions of the mobile device.

[0064]

[0073] Activation or deactivation of sensor reporting by the mobile device 105 may be done through messaging between the location server 160 and the mobile device 105. According to some embodiments, the location server 160 may decide to activate or deactivate sensor data reporting, in which case the location server 160 may provide a message with instructions to the mobile device 105 to activate or deactivate the sensor data reporting. Additionally or alternatively, the mobile device 105 may decide whether to activate or deactivate sensor data reporting, in which case the mobile device 105 may send a request in a message to the location server 160 to perform the activation / deactivation and / or a notification to the location server 160 of the activation / deactivation. Such messages between the location server 160 and the mobile device 105 may be conveyed during a positioning session, such as those shown in FIG. 4. According to some embodiments, for example, activation and / or deactivation may occur while the mobile device is acquiring and reporting measurement(s) / data (e.g., repeating operations 440-450). In some implementations, this may be in addition to the initial activation or deactivation at the beginning of a positioning session. For example, after initially receiving the capabilities of the mobile device 105 when initiating a positioning session (arrow 410), the location server 160 may instruct the mobile device 105 to activate sensor data reporting (e.g., when requesting location information at arrow 430). Additional details regarding embodiments in which the location server or the mobile device decide to activate and / or deactivate are provided below with respect to FIGS. 5-8.

[0065]

[0074] 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example logic flow that may be executed by a location server to activate and / or deactivate mobile device sensor data reporting, according to one embodiment. As mentioned, this may be performed by the mobile device at the beginning of a positioning session (e.g., to initially activate or deactivate sensor data reporting) and / or during the course of a positioning session, such as the positioning session illustrated in FIG. 4, during a time period in which the mobile device is providing periodic reporting of location information.

[0066]

[0075] The process may begin with the function at block 510 in which trigger condition information is collected. As mentioned above, conditions under which sensor data may be used to provide improved positioning of a mobile device may vary. And thus, collecting trigger condition information may comprise collecting information regarding these conditions. Generally, conditions under which sensor data may be useful will trigger activation of sensor data reporting, and conditions under which sensor data may not be useful will trigger deactivation of sensor data reporting. Thus, as described in further detail below, the trigger condition information may comprise information regarding conditions that may have an impact on the accuracy of sensor data from a mobile device, the accuracy and / or uncertainty of a position determination of the mobile device, and / or these accuracy measurements (e.g., sensor error, signal quality, etc.).

[0067]

[0076] At block 520, the function comprises determining whether sensor data reporting is active. As shown, this affects which logical branch the location server follows to determine whether to switch from a current mode of operation to another mode of operation. If sensor data reporting is not active, the location server determines whether one or more trigger conditions for activating sensor data reporting are met, as shown at block 530. Otherwise, if sensor data reporting is active, the location server determines whether one or more trigger conditions for deactivating sensor data reporting are met, as shown at block 540.

[0068]

[0077] The trigger condition(s) for activating sensor data reporting (considered in block 530) may vary depending on the desired functionality. For example, if the estimated location of the mobile device by the location server has a relatively large uncertainty or a relatively low accuracy, sensor data reporting may improve performance by reducing the uncertainty / increasing the accuracy. The uncertainty or accuracy of a position determination, which may reflect the quality or accuracy of the measurements used to make the position determination, is of course often determined when the position determination is made. This uncertainty value exceeding a threshold (or accuracy value falling below a threshold) may itself be a trigger condition for activating sensor data reporting, or may be one of many factors considered when activating sensor data reporting.

[0069]

[0078] In the RAT-dependent positioning of a mobile device, an insufficient quality of an RF signal used for positioning of the mobile device may result in an inaccurate location determination of the mobile device. For example, for an RF signal measured by the UE for positioning (e.g., DL-PRS transmitted by one or more TRPs), the UE may provide the RF signal quality (e.g., SNR value) of one or more RF signals to a location server. Additionally or alternatively, for an RF signal transmitted by the UE for positioning (e.g., SRS), one or more TRPs measuring the transmitted RF signal may provide the RF signal quality of one or more RF signals to a location server. Thus, in some embodiments, a signal quality metric falling below a threshold may be a trigger condition for activating sensor data reporting or may be one of many factors considered when activating sensor data reporting.

[0070]

[0079] The frequency of sensor sampling and / or reporting may also be considered to trigger activation of sensor data reporting. For example, positioning signals for RAT-dependent positioning are relatively infrequent, e.g., have a periodicity of 160 ms. On the other hand, sampling of sensor data by a mobile device may be much more frequent, e.g., every 10 ms or less. Thus, the sensor data may be used to help interpolate / estimate the less frequently performed RAT-dependent position fixes, providing better intermediate position fixes. Reporting of this sensor data by a mobile device may be at the same frequency of sampling or at a slower frequency. In the latter case, the sensor data may be accumulated (with corresponding timestamps) and sent in batches. Either way, according to some embodiments, the frequency of sensor sampling above a threshold and / or the frequency of other positioning techniques falling below a threshold may be a triggering condition for activating sensor data reporting or a factor considered when activating sensor data reporting.

[0071]

[0080] The trigger conditions for deactivating sensor data reporting (considered in block 540) may vary depending on the desired functionality. According to some embodiments, they may mimic the trigger conditions for activating sensor data reporting, but vice versa. That is, if the trigger condition for activating sensor data reporting is no longer met, it may trigger deactivation of sensor data reporting. Thus, the trigger conditions for deactivating sensor data reporting may comprise, for example, (i) an uncertainty value of the mobile device position estimate falling below a threshold (or an accuracy value exceeding a threshold), (ii) a signal quality metric (e.g., an SNR value) exceeding a threshold, (iii) a frequency of sensor sampling above a threshold, (iv) a frequency of other positioning techniques falling below a threshold, or (v) any combination thereof.

[0072]

[0081] According to some embodiments, a determination that the sensor data is erroneous may additionally or alternatively be used as a trigger condition for deactivating the sensor data. That is, the sensor data may be determined to be erroneous when compared to a position fix obtained using other measurements (e.g., RF measurements). For example, if the sensor data indicates a large amount of movement of the mobile device and the position fix and / or other data (which may have low uncertainty and / or high accuracy) do not indicate a large amount of movement, it may indicate erroneous sensor data. In such cases, the sensor data error may be a trigger condition for deactivating the sensor data reporting or may be one factor among many considered when deactivating the sensor data reporting.

[0073]

[0082] The functions at blocks 550 and 560 comprise sending a message to the UE to activate or deactivate sensor data reporting, respectively. This may be provided, for example, by a location server via LPP messaging (e.g., using Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages). Moreover, in some embodiments, the messages may comprise existing LPP messages, such as messages to request capabilities, request sensor data, deliver assistance data, request location information, abort an LPP procedure, etc. That said, alternative embodiments may utilize other types of messaging (e.g., non-LPP messaging) for faster activation / deactivation. According to some embodiments, for example, messages sent to the mobile device may be sent via a Media Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) and / or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0074]

[0083] It should be noted that the activation or deactivation of sensor data reporting may apply to different subsets of sensors, e.g., a single sensor, a group of sensors, or all (associated) sensors of a mobile device. For example, if data from a single sensor is determined to be erroneous (e.g., in view of data from other sensors and / or a position determination), reporting for that sensor may be deactivated. Thus, the message sent at block 550 or block 560 may include an indication of which sensor(s) to activate or deactivate, respectively.

[0075]

[0084] As shown in Figure 5, the process may end after the message is sent. That said, the process shown in Figure 5 may be repeated as described throughout a positioning session to adaptively activate / deactivate sensor data reporting. In some embodiments, for example, the process may be initiated at the beginning of a positioning session and repeated until the positioning session is terminated. Additionally or alternatively, some triggers within a positioning session may cause the location server to execute (or re-execute) the process in Figure 5. These triggers may comprise an indication by the mobile device of a capability for sensor data reporting, an indication that sensor data reporting has been activated / deactivated, an indication of the mobile device's need for improved positioning, etc.

[0076]

[0085] As mentioned, in addition to or as an alternative to the location server determining whether to activate or deactivate sensor data reporting, the mobile device may make that determination. One example of how a mobile device may implement this function is shown in FIG. 6 and described below.

[0077]

[0086] 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example logic flow that may be executed by a mobile device to activate and / or deactivate mobile device sensor data reporting, according to one embodiment. Again, this may be performed by the mobile device at the beginning of a positioning session (e.g., to initially activate or deactivate sensor data reporting) and / or during the course of a positioning session, such as the positioning session illustrated in FIG. 4, during a time period in which the mobile device is providing periodic reporting of location information.

[0078]

[0087] Generally speaking, the functionality in blocks 610-640 may largely mimic the corresponding functionality in blocks 510-540 of Figure 5. That said, there may be some differences given the differences in the data available to the mobile device and the location server. In addition to or as an alternative to the trigger conditions described with respect to Figure 5 that are considered by the location server, the mobile device may consider other trigger conditions in blocks 630 and 640, respectively, for activating or deactivating sensor data reporting.

[0079]

[0088] According to some embodiments, power considerations may be taken into account by the mobile device 1 activating or deactivating sensor data reporting. For example, if the mobile device's battery is relatively low and the mobile device determines that a potential improvement in the mobile device's location estimate that may be obtained from reporting sensor data (which may include activating the sensor) may not be worth the additional power draw from the battery, the mobile device may deactivate sensor data reporting from one or more sensors, or may only activate sensor data reporting for sensors that draw a relatively low amount of power. Thus, in some embodiments, a battery power level falling below a threshold may be a triggering condition for deactivating sensor data reporting, or may be one of many factors considered when deactivating sensor data reporting.

[0080]

[0089] According to some embodiments, the quality of the sensor data may additionally or alternatively be considered by the mobile device. For example, the mobile device may determine that the sensor data quality of service (QOS) is no longer reliable, such as based on the sensor generating atypical small-scale fluctuations in measurements. In such cases, the sensor may need to be restarted, may be out of sync, or may otherwise no longer be used reliably. Thus, in some embodiments, a sensor accuracy metric falling below a threshold may be a triggering condition for deactivating sensor data reporting, or may be one of many factors considered when deactivating sensor data reporting.

[0081]

[0090] If the mobile device determines that an activation trigger condition is met at block 630, it may activate sensor data reporting by sending a report message with the sensor data, as shown at block 650. Conversely, if the mobile device determines that a deactivation trigger condition is met at block 640, it may deactivate sensor data reporting by sending a report message without the sensor data, as shown at block 650. Again, the trigger conditions and reporting may apply to a subset of available sensors, depending on the desired functionality. In other words, sensor activation / deactivation may be done on a per-sensor level, may apply to groups of sensors, or may apply to all available sensors, which may depend on the trigger condition(s) that are met.

[0082]

[0091] As indicated by the dashed blocks in FIG. 6, alternative embodiments may include one or more optional features. For example, according to some embodiments, the mobile device may first send a request message to the location server to activate / deactivate the sensor data reporting prior to activation / deactivation, as indicated in blocks 660 and 665. Moreover, the mobile device may refrain from activating / deactivating the sensor data reporting until the mobile device receives an acknowledgement (ACK) from the location server, as indicated in blocks 670 and 675. Finally, activating / deactivating the sensor data reporting of one or more sensors may comprise activating / deactivating the sensor itself, as indicated in blocks 680 and 685. The mobile device may activate / deactivate one or more sensors, for example, if the one or more sensors are not otherwise being used by other functions of the mobile device.

[0083]

[0092] According to some embodiments, the messages sent to the location server may comprise LPP messaging, although other embodiments may utilize faster means, similar to the process shown in Figure 5. For example, according to some embodiments, one or more of the messages sent from the mobile device to the location server may be sent via PUSCH, PUCCH, Uplink Control Information (UCI), or a combination thereof.

[0084]

[0093] Referring again to the trigger condition determination in blocks 630 and 640, this may further be influenced by configurations received from the location server. That is, according to some embodiments, the server may configure the mobile device with conditions for sensor data activation / deactivation. These conditions may include, for example, RF measurement quality thresholds (e.g., thresholds for RSRP, SNR, etc.), sensor data quality thresholds (e.g., thresholds for QOS of one or more sensors), etc. Thus, while the mobile device may make the decision whether to activate / deactivate sensor data reporting, the location server may provide the mobile device with thresholds for doing so, thereby enabling the location server to exploit sensor data opportunistically / adaptively to adapt to different conditions that may affect position determination quality in the network. Furthermore, it should be noted that by setting these thresholds very high or very low, the location server can effectively turn on or off sensor data reporting. Again, this messaging may be sent via, for example, RRC, MAC-CE, or DCI. In some embodiments, for example, the location server may provide thresholds / configuration via RRC messaging and activation / deactivation by the location server, and / or the mobile device may be managed via MAC-CE or DCI / UCI messaging.

[0085]

[0094] According to some embodiments, an indication that an activation / deactivation trigger condition has been met may be provided in a message to the location server. This may be included, for example, in the request message at blocks 660 and 665 and / or in the report at blocks 650 and 655. In some embodiments, this may simply be a flag (e.g., a single bit) indicating that the sensor data reporting has been activated or deactivated. In some embodiments, the mobile device may optionally include a reason for the activation / deactivation, for example, by indicating that a certain threshold has been met for activation / deactivation, etc.

[0086]

[0095] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an example process 700 of adaptive sensor activation and configuration for positioning. In some implementations, one or more process blocks of FIG. 7 may be performed by a location server (e.g., location server 160). Process 700 may be considered in some aspects an implementation of the functionality shown in FIG. 5 and described above. In some embodiments, one or more process blocks of FIG. 7 may be performed by another device, or a group of devices separate from or including the location server. The location server may be executed by a computer system, and thus one or more process blocks of FIG. 7 may be performed by one or more components of computer system 1000, as shown in FIG. 10 and described below.

[0087]

[0096] As shown in FIG. 7, the function in process block 710 comprises determining, by the location server, during a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to the reporting by the mobile device of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server, where (i) the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the reporting, and (ii) the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting. As shown in the above embodiments, the trigger conditions may vary. Thus, according to some embodiments of process 700, determining the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition may be based at least in part on a position uncertainty of the mobile device exceeding a position uncertainty threshold, a wireless signal quality metric being lower than a signal quality threshold, or a periodicity of non-sensor-based location determination for the mobile device being lower than a threshold periodicity, or a combination thereof. Embodiments may further comprise obtaining a position fix for the mobile device indicating a position uncertainty for the mobile device.

[0088]

[0097] Additionally or alternatively, the second trigger condition may be based on information indicating that the sensor data is inaccurate. Thus, some embodiments of process 700 may further comprise receiving, at the location server, an indication of accuracy of sensor data of one or more sensors of the mobile device, determining, by the location server, an error in the sensor data based at least in part on the indication of the accuracy of the sensor data, and determining that the second trigger condition is met based at least in part on determining the error in the sensor data.

[0089]

[0098] Means for performing functions in process block 710 may comprise hardware and / or software components of a computer system, such as a bus 1005, a processing unit(s) 1010, a communication subsystem 1030, a working memory 1035, and / or other components of the computer system 1000 shown in FIG. 10 described below.

[0090]

[0099] As further shown in FIG. 7, the function at process block 720 comprises sending a message from the location server to the mobile device comprising either an instruction to activate reporting in response to determining that a first trigger condition is met, or an instruction to deactivate reporting in response to determining that a second trigger condition is met. As shown in the above embodiments, the message may be sent via RRC, MAC-CE, DCI, or a combination thereof. Also, as shown, the activation or deactivation may be specific to a subset of sensors of the mobile device. Thus, according to some embodiments, the message further indicates which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, or the message further indicates which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0091]

[0100] Means for performing functions in process block 720 may comprise hardware and / or software components of a computer system, such as a bus 1005, a processing unit(s) 1010, a communication subsystem 1030, a working memory 1035, and / or other components of the computer system 1000 shown in FIG. 10 described below.

[0092]

[0101] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of another example process 800 of adaptive sensor activation and configuration for positioning. In some implementations, one or more process blocks of FIG. 8 may be performed by a mobile device (e.g., mobile device 105). Process 700 may, in some aspects, be considered an implementation of the functionality shown in FIG. 6 and described above. Example hardware and / or software components of a mobile device that may be used to perform the functionality of one or more of the process blocks in FIG. 8 are shown in FIG. 9 and described below.

[0093]

[0102] As shown in FIG. 8, the functions in process block 810 comprise determining, by the mobile device, during a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to the mobile device reporting sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server, where (i) the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the reporting, and (ii) the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting. According to some embodiments, determining that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is met may be based at least in part on a battery power level of the mobile device, a wireless signal quality metric being lower than a signal quality threshold, or a sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors of the mobile device falling below a sensor accuracy threshold, or a combination thereof. Moreover, the signal quality threshold, the sensor accuracy threshold, or both may be received by the mobile device in a configuration message from the location server. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, the configuration message is received for a combination thereof via RRC, MAC-CE, DCI.

[0094]

[0103] Means for performing functions in process block 810 may comprise hardware and / or software components of a mobile device, such as a bus 905, a processing unit(s) 910, a digital signal processor (DSP) 920, a wireless communication interface 930, a sensor(s) 940, a memory 960, and / or other components of the mobile device 900, as shown in FIG. 9 described below.

[0095]

[0104] As shown in FIG. 8, the function at process block 820 comprises sending a report message from the mobile device to a location server, where the report message either (i) includes sensor data from one or more sensors in response to determining that a first trigger condition is met, or (ii) omits sensor data from one or more sensors in response to determining that a second trigger condition is met. As shown in the previously described embodiments, some embodiments may include a request / ACK exchange between the mobile device and the location server. Thus, some embodiments of process 800 may further include, prior to sending the report message, sending a request message from the mobile device to the location server, where the request message comprises a request to either (i) activate reporting in response to determining that a first trigger condition is met, or (ii) deactivate reporting in response to determining that a second trigger condition is met. In such an embodiment, the process 800 may further include receiving, at the mobile device, an acknowledgement from the location server, where sending the report message is based at least in part on receiving the acknowledgement. As mentioned, the request may be sent via a PUSCH, a PUCCH, a UCI, or any combination thereof. Moreover, according to some embodiments, either (i) the request to activate the reporting indicates which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated, or (ii) the request to deactivate the reporting indicates which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated.

[0096]

[0105] Means for performing functions in process block 820 may comprise hardware and / or software components of a mobile device, such as a bus 905, processing unit(s) 910, a DSP 920, a wireless communication interface 930, a sensor(s) 940, a memory 960, and / or other components of the mobile device 900 shown in FIG. 9 described below.

[0097]

[0106] FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a mobile device 900 that may be utilized as described herein above with respect to a UE and / or mobile device (e.g., in connection with FIGS. 1-8). For example, the mobile device 900 may perform one or more of the functions of the method illustrated in FIG. 7. It should be noted that FIG. 9 merely provides a generalized view of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate. It should be noted that in some instances, the components illustrated by FIG. 9 may be localized in a single physical device and / or distributed among various networked devices. Additionally, as noted above, the UE functions described in the previously described embodiments may be performed by one or more of the hardware and / or software components illustrated in FIG. 9.

[0098]

[0107] A mobile device 900 is shown comprising hardware elements that may be electrically coupled (or in other communication, as appropriate) via a bus 905. The hardware elements may include processing unit(s) 910, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as DSP chips, graphics acceleration processors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), and / or other processing structures or means. As shown in FIG. 9, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 920 depending on the desired functionality. Location determination and / or other determinations based on wireless communication may be provided in the processing unit(s) 910 and / or in a wireless communication interface 930 (described below). The mobile device 900 may also include one or more input devices 970, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more keyboards, touch screens, touch pads, microphones, buttons, dials, switches, etc., and one or more output devices 915, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more displays (e.g., touch screens), light emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, etc.

[0099]

[0108] The mobile device 900 may also include a wireless communication interface 930, which may comprise, but is not limited to, a modem (such as a Bluetooth device, an IEEE 802.11 device, an IEEE 802.15.4 device, a Wi-Fi device, a WiMAX device, a WAN device, and / or various cellular devices), a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset, etc., which may enable the mobile device 900 to communicate with other devices as described in the above embodiments. The wireless communication interface 930 may enable data and signaling to be communicated (e.g., transmitted and received) with the TRP of the network, as described herein, for example, via an eNB, a gNB, an ng-eNB, an access point, various base stations and / or other access node types, and / or other network components, computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices communicatively coupled to the TRP. The communication may be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 932 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 934. According to some embodiments, the wireless communication antenna(s) 932 may comprise multiple individual antennas, an antenna array, or any combination thereof. The antenna(s) 932 may be capable of transmitting and receiving wireless signals using beams (e.g., Tx beams and Rx beams). Beam formation may be implemented using digital and / or analog beam formation techniques with digital and / or analog circuitry, respectively. The wireless communication interface 930 may include such circuitry.

[0100]

[0109] Depending on the desired functionality, the wireless communication interface 930 may comprise separate receivers and transmitters, or any combination of transceivers, transmitters, and / or receivers, for communicating with base stations (e.g., ng-eNBs and gNBs) and other terrestrial transceivers, such as wireless devices and access points. The mobile device 900 may communicate with different data networks, which may comprise a variety of network types. For example, a wireless wide area network (WWAN) may be a CDMA network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) network, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) network, a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network, etc. The CDMA network may implement one or more RATs, such as CDMA2000, Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), etc. CDMA2000 includes IS-95, IS-2000, and / or IS-856 standards. The TDMA network may implement GSM, Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System (D-AMPS), or some other RAT. The OFDMA network may employ LTE, LTE Advanced, 5G NR, etc. 5G NR, LTE, LTE Advanced, GSM, and WCDMA are described in documents from 3GPP. Cdma2000 is described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project X3" ("3GPP2"). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. The wireless local area network (WLAN) may also be an IEEE 802.11x network, and the wireless personal area network (WPAN) may be a Bluetooth network, an IEEE 802.15x, or some other type of network. Also, the techniques described herein may be used for any combination of WWAN, WLAN, and / or WPAN.

[0101]

[0110] The mobile device 900 may further include sensor(s) 940. The sensor(s) 940 may comprise one or more sensors that may be a source of sensor data reports (e.g., sensor data 335 of FIG. 3). The sensor(s) 940 may comprise, without limitation, one or more inertial sensors and / or other sensors (e.g., accelerometer(s), gyroscope(s), camera(s), magnetometer(s), altimeter(s), microphone(s), proximity sensor(s), light sensor(s), barometer(s), etc.), at least some of which may be used to obtain positional relationship measurements and / or other information for the sensor data reports described herein.

[0102]

[0111] An embodiment of the mobile device 900 may also include a GNSS receiver 980 capable of receiving signals 984 from one or more Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites using an antenna 982 (which may be the same as antenna 932). Positioning based on GNSS signal measurements may be utilized to complement and / or incorporate the techniques described herein. The GNSS receiver 980 may use conventional techniques to extract a position of the mobile device 900 from GNSS satellites X110 of a GNSS system, such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, GLONASS, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) over Japan, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) over India, and BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) over China. Moreover, the GNSS receiver 980 may be used in conjunction with various augmentation systems (e.g., Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS)) that may be associated with or otherwise enabled for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems, such as, for example, the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), and the Geo Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN).

[0103]

[0112] It should be noted that although the GNSS receiver 980 is shown in FIG. 9 as a separate component, the embodiment is not so limited. The term “GNSS receiver” as used herein may comprise hardware and / or software components configured to obtain GNSS measurements (measurements from GNSS satellites). In some embodiments, the GNSS receiver may thus comprise a measurement engine executed (as software) by one or more processing units, such as the processing unit(s) 910, the DSP 920, and / or a processing unit (e.g., in a modem) within the wireless communication interface 930. The GNSS receiver may also optionally include a positioning engine, which may use the GNSS measurements from the measurement engine to determine the position of the GNSS receiver using an extended Kalman filter (EKF), weighted least squares (WLS), a hatch filter, a particle filter, etc. The positioning engine may also be executed by one or more processing units, such as the processing unit(s) 910 or the DSP 920.

[0104]

[0113] The mobile device 900 may further include and / or be in communication with memory 960. Memory 960 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network accessible storage, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, and solid-state storage devices such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM), which may be programmable, flash updatable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data store, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0105]

[0114] The memory 960 of the mobile device 900 may also comprise computer programs provided by various embodiments and / or may comprise software elements (not shown in FIG. 9 ) including other code, such as an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or one or more application programs, that may be designed to implement methods and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments as described herein. By way of example only, one or more procedures described with respect to the method(s) described above may be implemented as code and / or instructions in the memory 960 that are executable by the mobile device 900 (and / or the processing unit(s) 910 or DSP 920 within the mobile device 900). In one aspect, such code and / or instructions may then be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations in accordance with the described methods.

[0106]

[0115] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a computer system 1000 that may be used in whole or in part to provide the functionality of one or more network components (e.g., location server 160 and / or LMF 220) described in the embodiments herein. It should be noted that FIG. 10 merely provides a generalized view of the various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate. FIG. 10 thus broadly illustrates how individual system elements may be implemented in a relatively separated or relatively more integrated manner. Additionally, it should be noted that the components illustrated by FIG. 10 may be localized on a single device and / or distributed among various networked devices that may be disposed in different geographic locations.

[0107]

[0116] A computer system 1000 is shown comprising hardware elements that may be electrically coupled (or in other suitable communication) via a bus 1005. The hardware elements may include processing unit(s) 1010, which may comprise, but is not limited to, one or more general purpose processors, one or more special purpose processors (such as digital signal processing chips, graphics acceleration processors, etc.), and / or other processing structures that may be configured to perform one or more of the methods described herein. The computer system 1000 may also comprise one or more input devices 1015, which may comprise, but is not limited to, a mouse, keyboard, camera, microphone, etc., and one or more output devices 1020, which may comprise, but is not limited to, a display device, printer, etc.

[0108]

[0117] Computer system 1000 may further include (and / or be in communication with) one or more non-transitory storage devices 1025, which may comprise, but are not limited to, local and / or network accessible storage and / or solid-state storage devices such as, but not limited to, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, RAM and / or ROM that may be programmable, flash updatable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data store, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, etc. Such data stores may include database(s) and / or other data structures used to store and manage messages and / or other information to be sent via the hub to one or more devices, as described herein.

[0109]

[0118] The computer system 1000 may also include a communication subsystem 1030, which may comprise wireless communication technologies managed and controlled by a wireless communication interface 1033, as well as wired technologies (Ethernet, coaxial communication, Universal Serial Bus (USB), etc.). The wireless communication interface 1033 may send and receive wireless signals 1055 (e.g., signals according to 5G NR or LTE) via a wireless antenna(s) 1050. Thus, the communication subsystem 1030 may comprise a modem, a network card (wireless or wired), an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset, etc., which may enable the computer system 1000 to communicate over any or all of the communication networks described herein to any device on the respective network, including user equipment (UE), base stations and / or other TRPs, and / or any other electronic device described herein. Thus, the communication subsystem 1030 may be used to receive and send data as described in the embodiments herein.

[0110]

[0119] In many embodiments, the computer system 1000 further comprises a working memory 1035, which may comprise a RAM or ROM device, as described above. The software elements shown as being located within the working memory 1035 may comprise computer programs provided by various embodiments, as described herein, and / or may comprise other code, such as an operating system 1040, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or one or more applications 1045, which may be designed to implement methods and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments. By way of example only, one or more procedures described with respect to the method(s) described above may be implemented as code and / or instructions executable by a computer (and / or a processing unit within a computer), and in one aspect, such code and / or instructions may then be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations in accordance with the described methods.

[0111]

[0120] A set of these instructions and / or code may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as storage device(s) 1025 described above. In some cases, the storage medium may be incorporated within a computer system, such as computer system 1000. In other embodiments, the storage medium may be separate from the computer system (e.g., a removable medium, such as an optical disk) and / or may be provided in an installation package such that the storage medium may be used to program, configure, and / or adapt a general-purpose computer with the instructions / code stored thereon. These instructions may take the form of executable code that is executable by computer system 1000 and / or may take the form of source code and / or installable code that, when compiled and / or installed on computer system 1000 (e.g., using any of a variety of commonly available compilers, installation programs, compression / decompression utilities, etc.), then takes the form of executable code.

[0112]

[0121] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantial variations may be made according to particular requirements. For example, customized hardware may also be used, and / or particular elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software such as applets), or both. Furthermore, connection to other computing devices, such as network input / output devices, may be employed.

[0113]

[0122] With reference to the accompanying figures, components that may include memory may include non-transitory machine-readable media. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable media" and "computer-readable media" refer to any storage medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific manner. In the embodiments provided above, various machine-readable media may participate in providing instructions / code to a processing unit and / or other device(s) for execution. Additionally or alternatively, machine-readable media may be used to store and / or transport such instructions / code. In many implementations, the computer-readable media is a physical and / or tangible storage medium. Such media may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, magnetic and / or optical media, any other physical media with patterns of holes, RAM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), flash EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or code.

[0114]

[0123] The methods, systems, and devices described herein are examples. Various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components, as appropriate. For example, features described with respect to some embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of the embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. Various components of the diagrams provided herein may be implemented in hardware and / or software. Also, technology evolves, and thus many of the elements are examples, and those examples do not limit the scope of the disclosure to those specific examples.

[0115]

[0124] It has proven convenient at times, primarily for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, terms, numbers, numerals, or the like. It should be understood, however, that all of these or similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless otherwise indicated, and as is apparent from the above description, it should be appreciated that throughout this specification, descriptions utilizing terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining," "ascertaining," "identifying," "associating," "measuring," "performing," and the like refer to the actions or processes of a particular apparatus, such as a special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device. Thus, in the context of this specification, a special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals that are commonly represented as electronic, electrical, or magnetic physical quantities in memories, registers, or other information storage devices, transmission devices, or display devices of the special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device.

[0116]

[0125] The terms "and" and "or" as used herein may include various meanings that are also expected to depend at least in part on the context in which such terms are used. In general, when "or" is used to associate a list, such as A, B, or C, it shall mean A, B, and C, as used herein in an inclusive sense, as well as A, B, or C, as used herein in an exclusive sense. Furthermore, the term "one or more" as used herein may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular, or may be used to describe any combination of features, structures, or characteristics. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example, and that claimed subject matter is not limited to this example. Furthermore, the term "at least one of," when used to associate a list, such as A, B, or C, may be interpreted to mean any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, AABBCCC, etc.

[0117]

[0126] Although several embodiments have been described, various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the above elements may only be components of a larger system, and other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the various embodiments. Also, some steps may be taken before, during, or after the above elements are considered. Thus, the above description does not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0118]

[0127] In view of this description, embodiments may include different combinations of features. Example implementations are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0119] Clause 1. A method of sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communications network, the method comprising: determining, by the location server during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting by the mobile device to the location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device, wherein the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating reporting and the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating reporting; and sending a message from the location server to the mobile device comprising either an instruction to activate reporting in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met or an instruction to deactivate reporting in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0120] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein determining that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is met is based at least in part on: a position uncertainty of the mobile device exceeding a position uncertainty threshold, a wireless signal quality metric being lower than a signal quality threshold, or a periodicity of non-sensor-based location determinations for the mobile device being lower than a threshold periodicity, or a combination thereof.

[0121] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, obtaining a position fix for a mobile device indicating a position uncertainty for the mobile device.

[0122] Clause 4. The method of any of clauses 1 to 3, further comprising receiving, at the location server, an indication of accuracy of sensor data of one or more sensors of the mobile device, determining, by the location server, an error in the sensor data based at least in part on the indication of accuracy of the sensor data, and determining that a second trigger condition is met based at least in part on determining the error in the sensor data.

[0123] Clause 5. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 4, wherein the message is sent via a radio resource control (RRC), a medium access control - control element (MAC-CE), a downlink control information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

[0124] Clause 6. The method of any of clauses 1 to 5, wherein the message further indicates which of the one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, or the message further indicates which of the one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0125] Clause 7. A method of sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communications network, the method comprising: determining, by the mobile device, during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting by the mobile device to the location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device, wherein the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the reporting and the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting; and sending a report message from the mobile device to the location server, wherein the report message either includes sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met or omits sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0126] Clause 8. The method of clause 7, further comprising: prior to sending the report message, sending a request message from the mobile device to the location server, wherein the request message comprises a request to either activate reporting in response to determining that a first trigger condition is met or deactivate reporting in response to determining that a second trigger condition is met, and receiving an acknowledgement response from the location server at the mobile device, wherein sending the report message is based at least in part on receiving the acknowledgement response.

[0127] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, wherein the request message is sent via a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), an uplink control information (UCI), or a combination thereof.

[0128] Clause 10. The method of any of clauses 7 to 9, wherein the request to activate the report either indicates which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated, or the request to deactivate the report indicates which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated.

[0129] Clause 11. The method of any of clauses 7 to 10, wherein determining that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is met is based at least in part on a battery power level of the mobile device, a wireless signal quality metric being below a signal quality threshold, or a sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors of the mobile device falling below a sensor accuracy threshold, or a combination thereof.

[0130] Clause 12. The method of clause 11, wherein the signal quality threshold, the sensor accuracy threshold, or both, are received by the mobile device in a configuration message from the location server.

[0131] Clause 13. The method of clause 12, wherein the configuration message is received via a radio resource control (RRC), a media access control - control element (MAC-CE), a downlink control information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

[0132] Clause 14. A location server enabling sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communications network, the location server comprising: a transceiver, a memory, and one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, the one or more processing units configured to: determine that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting, by the mobile device to the location server, of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server; and send a message to the mobile device via the transceiver comprising either an instruction to activate reporting in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met or an instruction to deactivate reporting in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met, wherein the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating reporting and the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating reporting.

[0133] Clause 15. The location server of clause 14, wherein the one or more processing units are configured to determine that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is met based at least in part on a location uncertainty of the mobile device exceeding a location uncertainty threshold, a wireless signal quality metric being below a signal quality threshold, or a periodicity of non-sensor-based location determinations for the mobile device being below a threshold periodicity, or a combination thereof.

[0134] Clause 16. The location server of clause 15, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to obtain a position fix for the mobile device indicating a position uncertainty for the mobile device.

[0135] Clause 17. The location server of any of clauses 14 to 16, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to receive an indication of accuracy of sensor data of one or more sensors of the mobile device, determine an error in the sensor data based at least in part on the indication of the accuracy of the sensor data, and determine that a second trigger condition is met based at least in part on determining the error in the sensor data.

[0136] Clause 18. The location server of any of clauses 14 to 17, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to send messages via Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE), Downlink Control Information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

[0137] Clause 19. The location server of any of clauses 14 to 18, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to send a message indicating which of the one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated in response to determining that a first trigger condition is met, or the message indicating which of the one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated in response to determining that a second trigger condition is met.

[0138] Clause 20. A mobile device enabling sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communications network, the mobile device comprising: a wireless transceiver; a memory; and one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory, the one or more processing units configured to: determine, during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting, by the mobile device to a location server, of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device, wherein the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the reporting, and the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting, and wherein the report message either includes sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, or omits sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0139] Clause 21. The mobile device of clause 20, wherein the one or more processing units are configured to: send a request message to the location server via the wireless transceiver prior to sending the report message, wherein the request message comprises a request to either activate reporting in response to determining that a first trigger condition is met or deactivate reporting in response to determining that a second trigger condition is met, and receive an acknowledgement from the location server via the wireless transceiver, wherein the one or more processing units are configured to send the report message based at least in part on receiving the acknowledgement.

[0140] Clause 22. The mobile device of clause 21, wherein the one or more processing units are configured to send the request via a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), an uplink control information (UCI), or a combination thereof.

[0141] Clause 23. A mobile device as described in any of clauses 20 to 22, wherein the one or more processing units are configured to either indicate, in a request to activate a report, which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated, or indicate, in a request to deactivate a report, which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated.

[0142] Clause 24. The mobile device of any of clauses 20 to 23, wherein the one or more processing units are configured to determine that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is met based at least in part on a battery power level of the mobile device, a wireless signal quality metric being below a signal quality threshold, or a sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors of the mobile device falling below a sensor accuracy threshold, or a combination thereof.

[0143] Clause 25. The mobile device of clause 24, wherein the one or more processing units are configured to receive the signal quality threshold, the sensor accuracy threshold, or both in a configuration message from the location server via the wireless transceiver.

[0144] Clause 26. The mobile device of clause 25, wherein the one or more processing units are configured to receive a configuration message via a radio resource control (RRC), a media access control - control element (MAC-CE), a downlink control information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

[0145] Clause 27. A device for sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communications network, the device comprising: means for determining that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting, by the mobile device to a location server, of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, wherein the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating reporting and the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating reporting; and means for sending to the mobile device a message comprising either an instruction to activate reporting in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met or an instruction to deactivate reporting in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0146] Clause 28. The device of clause 27, wherein the means for determining that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is met is configured to base the determination at least in part on a position uncertainty of the mobile device exceeding a position uncertainty threshold, a wireless signal quality metric being lower than a signal quality threshold, or a periodicity of non-sensor-based location determinations for the mobile device being lower than a threshold periodicity, or a combination thereof.

[0147] Clause 29. The device of clause 28, further comprising means for obtaining a position fix for the mobile device indicating a position uncertainty for the mobile device.

[0148] Clause 30. The device of any of clauses 27 to 29, further comprising means for receiving, at the location server, an indication of accuracy of sensor data of one or more sensors of the mobile device, means for determining, by the location server, an error in the sensor data based at least in part on the indication of accuracy of the sensor data, and means for determining that a second trigger condition is met based at least in part on determining the error in the sensor data.

[0149] Clause 31. The device of any of clauses 27 to 30, wherein the means for sending the message comprises means for sending the message via a radio resource control (RRC), a media access control - control element (MAC-CE), a downlink control information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

[0150] Clause 32. The device of any of clauses 27 to 31, wherein the means for sending further comprises means for including in the message an indication of which of the one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated in response to determining that a first trigger condition is met, or an indication of which of the one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated in response to determining that a second trigger condition is met.

[0151] Clause 33. A sensor activation or deactivation device for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communications network, the device comprising: means for determining that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting, by the mobile device to a location server, of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server; and means for sending a report message to the location server, where the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the reporting and the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting, and where the report message either includes the sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met or omits the sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0152] Clause 34. The device of clause 33, further comprising means for sending a request message to the location server prior to sending the report message, wherein the request message comprises a request to either activate reporting in response to determining that a first trigger condition is met or deactivate reporting in response to determining that a second trigger condition is met, and means for receiving an acknowledgment of the request from the location server, wherein sending the report message is based at least in part on receiving the acknowledgment.

[0153] Clause 35. The device of clause 34, wherein the means for sending the request comprises means for sending the request via a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), uplink control information (UCI), or a combination thereof.

[0154] Clause 36. The device of any of clauses 33 to 35, wherein the means for sending the request comprises means for including in the request either an indication of which of the one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated in a request to activate a report, or an indication of which of the one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated in a request to deactivate a report.

[0155] Clause 37. The device of any of clauses 33 to 36, wherein the means for determining that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is satisfied comprises means for basing the determination at least in part on a battery power level of the mobile device, a wireless signal quality metric being below a signal quality threshold, or a sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors of the mobile device falling below a sensor accuracy threshold, or a combination thereof.

[0156] Clause 38. The device of clause 37, further comprising means for receiving the signal quality threshold, the sensor accuracy threshold, or both in a configuration message from the location server.

[0157] Clause 39. The device of clause 38, further comprising means for receiving a configuration message via a radio resource control (RRC), a media access control - control element (MAC-CE), a downlink control information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

[0158] Clause 40. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communications network, the instructions comprising code for determining that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting, by the mobile device to a location server, of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, wherein the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the reporting and the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting, and sending a message from the location server to the mobile device comprising either an instruction to activate the reporting in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met or an instruction to deactivate the reporting in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0159] Clause 41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 40, wherein the code for determining that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is met comprises code for basing the determination at least in part on a position uncertainty of the mobile device exceeding a position uncertainty threshold, a wireless signal quality metric being lower than a signal quality threshold, or a periodicity of non-sensor-based location determinations for the mobile device being lower than a threshold periodicity, or a combination thereof.

[0160] Clause 42. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 41, the instructions further comprising code for obtaining a position fix for the mobile device indicating a position uncertainty for the mobile device.

[0161] Clause 43. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 40 to 42, the instructions further comprising code for receiving, at the location server, an indication of accuracy of sensor data of one or more sensors of the mobile device, determining, by the location server, an error in the sensor data based at least in part on the indication of accuracy of the sensor data, and determining that a second trigger condition is met based at least in part on determining the error in the sensor data.

[0162] Clause 44. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 40 to 43, wherein the code for sending the message includes code for sending the message via a radio resource control (RRC), a media access control - control element (MAC-CE), a downlink control information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

[0163] Clause 45. The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of clauses 40 to 44, wherein the code for sending the message includes code for including in the message an indication of which of the one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated in response to determining that a first trigger condition is met, or an indication of which of the one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated in response to determining that a second trigger condition is met.

[0164] Clause 46. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communications network, the instructions comprising code for determining that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting by the mobile device to a location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, wherein the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the reporting and the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting, and wherein the report message either includes sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met or omits sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met.

[0165] Clause 47. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 46, wherein the instructions further comprise code for sending a request message from the mobile device to the location server prior to sending the report message, wherein the request message comprises a request to either activate reporting in response to determining that a first trigger condition is met or deactivate reporting in response to determining that a second trigger condition is met, and receiving an acknowledgement response from the location server, wherein sending the report message is based at least in part on receiving the acknowledgement response.

[0166] Clause 48. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 47, wherein the code for sending the request comprises code for sending the request via a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), uplink control information (UCI), or a combination thereof.

[0167] Clause 49. The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of clauses 46 to 48, wherein the code for sending the request comprises code for either including in the request to activate the report an indication of which of the one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated, or including in the request to deactivate the report an indication of which of the one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated.

[0168] Clause 50. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 46 to 49, wherein the code for determining that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is met comprises code for basing the determination at least in part on a battery power level of the mobile device, a wireless signal quality metric being below a signal quality threshold, or a sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors of the mobile device falling below a sensor accuracy threshold, or a combination thereof.

[0169] Clause 51. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 50, further comprising code for receiving the signal quality threshold, the sensor accuracy threshold, or both in a configuration message from the location server.

[0170] Clause 52. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 51, wherein the code for receiving the configuration message comprises code for receiving the configuration message via a radio resource control (RRC), a media access control - control element (MAC-CE), a downlink control information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. 1. A method of sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: determining, by the location server during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting by the mobile device to the location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device; the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the report; the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting. from the location server to the mobile device; instructions to activate the reporting of sensor data in response to determining that the first trigger condition is satisfied; or instructions for deactivating the reporting of sensor data in response to determining that the second trigger condition is satisfied; sending a message comprising either A method comprising:

2. Determining that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is satisfied includes: a location uncertainty of the mobile device exceeds a location uncertainty threshold; The wireless signal quality metric is below the signal quality threshold, or the periodicity of non-sensor-based location determinations for the mobile device is less than a threshold periodicity; or Combinations of these Based at least in part on The method of claim 1 , optionally further comprising obtaining a position fix for the mobile device indicating the position uncertainty of the mobile device.

3. receiving, at the location server, an indication of accuracy of sensor data of the one or more sensors of the mobile device; determining, by the location server, an error in the sensor data based at least in part on the indication of accuracy of the sensor data; determining that the second trigger condition is met based at least in part on the determining the error in the sensor data; and The method of claim 1 further comprising:

4. The message, Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE); Downlink Control Information (DCI), or Combinations of these The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal is sent via

5. the message further indicates which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated in response to determining that the first trigger condition is met; or The message further indicates which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated in response to determining that the second trigger condition is met. The method of claim 1.

6. 1. A method of sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: determining, by the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is satisfied with respect to reporting by the mobile device to the location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device; the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the report; the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting. sending a report message from the mobile device to the location server, wherein the report message comprises: in response to determining that the first trigger condition is satisfied, including sensor data from the one or more sensors; or omitting sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the second trigger condition is satisfied. Either A method comprising:

7. Prior to sending the report message, sending a request message from the mobile device to the location server, wherein the request message comprises: activating the reporting in response to determining that the first trigger condition is satisfied; or deactivating the reporting in response to determining that the second trigger condition is satisfied. (a) a requirement to receiving, at the mobile device, an acknowledgment from the location server; Further equipped with wherein sending the report message is based at least in part on receiving the acknowledgement. The method according to claim 6.

8. The request message is Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH); A Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH); Uplink Control Information (UCI), or Combinations of these The method of claim 7, wherein the signal is sent via

9. the request to activate the reporting indicates which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated; or The request to deactivate the reporting indicates which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated. The method according to claim 7, wherein

10. Determining that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is satisfied includes: the battery power level of said mobile device; The wireless signal quality metric is below the signal quality threshold, or a sensor accuracy metric for the one or more sensors of the mobile device falling below a sensor accuracy threshold; or Combinations of these Based at least in part on The method of claim 6 , wherein the signal quality threshold, the sensor accuracy threshold, or both are received by the mobile device in a configuration message from the location server.

11. The configuration message comprises: Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE); Downlink Control Information (DCI), or Combinations of these The method of claim 10, wherein the signal is received via

12. 1. A location server for enabling sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, the location server comprising: At least one transceiver; Memory, one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver and the memory; wherein the one or more processing units are determining that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting by the mobile device to the location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, wherein: the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the report; the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting. to the mobile device via the at least one transceiver; instructions to activate the reporting of sensor data in response to determining that the first trigger condition is satisfied; or instructions for deactivating the reporting of sensor data in response to determining that the second trigger condition is satisfied; sending a message comprising either A location server configured to:

13. The location server of claim 14, wherein the one or more processing units are configured to perform the method of any one of claims 2 to 5.

14. 1. A mobile device enabling sensor activation or deactivation for positioning the mobile device in a wireless communication network, the mobile device comprising: At least one transceiver; Memory, one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver and the memory; wherein the one or more processing units are determining that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met with respect to reporting by the mobile device to the location server of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, wherein: the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the report; the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating the reporting. sending a report message to the location server via a wireless transceiver, wherein the report message comprises: in response to determining that the first trigger condition is satisfied, including sensor data from the one or more sensors; or omitting sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to determining that the second trigger condition is satisfied. Either A mobile device configured to:

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processing units are configured to perform the method of any one of claims 7 to 11.

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