Adaptive sensor activation and configuration for positioning

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]

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to the field of wireless communication, and more particularly, to location or position determination.

Background Art

[0002]

[0002] The determination of the position of a mobile device in a wireless communication network, often referred to as "positioning" of the mobile device, can be carried out using any of various positioning techniques that use the transmission and measurement of RF signals by the mobile device and / or the transmission and reception points (TRPs) of the wireless communication network. Other techniques for positioning a mobile device can include techniques that may not rely on a wireless communication network, such as global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-based positioning or positioning using RF beacons. "Fusing" the positioning determination with sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device can be a way in which the position of the mobile device can be improved by providing additional accuracy, reliability, etc. Such fusing is generally performed by the mobile device. However, in order to perform the fusing, providing sensor data from the mobile device to a network device for the network device can result in, for example, an inefficient use of bandwidth and / or processing resources.

Summary of the Invention

[0003]

[0003] An exemplary method of sensor activation or deactivation for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, as disclosed herein, comprises the location server determining during a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition has been met with respect to reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device, wherein the first trigger condition may include a trigger condition for activating reporting, and the second trigger condition may include a trigger condition for deactivating reporting. The method further comprises sending a message from a location server to a mobile device, the message may include either an instruction to activate reporting in response to determining that a first trigger condition has been met, or an instruction to deactivate reporting in response to determining that a second trigger condition has been met.

[0004]

[0004] An exemplary method for activating or deactivating sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, as disclosed herein, comprises determining during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server that a first or second trigger condition has been met with respect to reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device, wherein the first trigger condition may include a trigger condition for activating reporting, and the second trigger condition may include a trigger condition for deactivating reporting. The method further comprises sending a reporting message from the mobile device to the location server, wherein the reporting message either includes sensor data from one or more sensors in response to the determination that the first trigger condition has been met, or omits sensor data from one or more sensors in response to the determination that the second trigger condition has been met.

[0005]

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

[0006]

[0006] An exemplary mobile device, wireless transceiver, memory, and one or more processing units communicably coupled to the wireless transceiver and memory, enabling the activation or deactivation of sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network. The one or more processing units are configured to determine that a first or second trigger condition has been 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, wherein the first trigger condition may include a trigger condition for activating reporting, and the second trigger condition may include a trigger condition for deactivating reporting. The one or more processing units are also configured to send a reporting message to the location server via the wireless transceiver, wherein the reporting message either includes sensor data from one or more sensors in response to the determination that the first trigger condition has been met, or omits sensor data from one or more sensors in response to the determination that the second trigger condition has been met.

[0007]

[0007] An exemplary device for activating or deactivating sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, as disclosed herein, comprises means for determining that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition has been met with respect to reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, wherein the first trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for activating reporting, and the second trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for deactivating reporting. The device further comprises means for sending to the mobile device a message which may comprise either an instruction to activate reporting in response to a determination that the first trigger condition has been met, or an instruction to deactivate reporting in response to a determination that the second trigger condition has been met.

[0008]

[0008] Another exemplary device for activating or deactivating sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, as disclosed herein, comprises means for determining that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition has been 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, wherein the first trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for activating reporting, and the second trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for deactivating reporting. The device further comprises means for sending a reporting message to the location server, wherein the reporting message either includes sensor data from one or more sensors in response to determining that the first trigger condition has been met, or omits sensor data from one or more sensors in response to determining that the second trigger condition has been met.

[0009]

[0009] An exemplary non-transient computer-readable medium provided by this disclosure stores commands for activating or deactivating sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network. The command comprises a code for determining that a first or second trigger condition has been met with respect to reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, wherein the first trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for activating reporting, and the second trigger condition may comprise a trigger condition for deactivating reporting. The command further comprises a code for sending from the location server to the mobile device, the message may comprise either a command to activate reporting in response to the determination that the first trigger condition has been met, or a command to deactivate reporting in response to the determination that the second trigger condition has been met.

[0010]

[0010] Another exemplary non-temporary computer-readable medium provided by the Disclosure stores commands for activating or deactivating sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network. The commands include a code for determining that a first or second trigger condition has been met with respect to reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, wherein the first trigger condition may include a trigger condition for activating reporting, and the second trigger condition may include a trigger condition for deactivating reporting. The commands further include a code for sending a report message from the mobile device to the location server, wherein the report message either includes sensor data from one or more sensors in response to determining that the first trigger condition has been met, or omits sensor data from one or more sensors in response to determining that the second trigger condition has been met. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1]

[0011] A diagram of a positioning system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2]

[0012] A diagram of a 5G NR positioning system, showing one embodiment of a positioning system implemented within a fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) communication system (for example, the positioning system in Figure 1). [Figure 3]

[0013] 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] A call flow diagram illustrating a possible communication exchange during a positioning session between a mobile device and a location server, according to one embodiment. [Figure 5]

[0015] A flowchart illustrating an exemplary logical flow that may be performed by a location server to provide adaptive sensor activation and configuration for positioning, according to one embodiment. [Figure 6]

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

[0017] A flowchart illustrating a method for activating or deactivating sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, which may be performed by a location server, according to one embodiment. [Figure 8]

[0018] A flowchart illustrating a method for activating or deactivating sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, which may be performed by a mobile device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 9]

[0019] A block diagram of one embodiment of a mobile device that may be used in the embodiments described herein. [Figure 10]

[0020] A block diagram of one embodiment of a computer system that may be used in the embodiments described herein. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012]

[0021] Similar reference numerals in various drawings indicate similar elements in several exemplary implementations. Furthermore, multiple instances of an element may be indicated by following a first number for the element with 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 (for example, 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 covers several implementations for the purpose of illustrating the inventive aspects of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in numerous different ways. The implementations described are used for communication within wireless, cellular, or Internet of Things (IoT) networks, such as systems utilizing 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, or further implementations thereof, and include any of the following: any of the IEEE 802.11 standards (including those identified as Wi-Fi® technology), Bluetooth® standards, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM®), GSM / General-Purpose Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Infrastructure Radio (TETRA), Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA®), Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO RevA, EV-DO It can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in accordance with any communication standard, such as RevB, High Speed ​​Packet Data (HRPD), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Advanced High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA+), Long-Term Evolution (LTE®), Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), 5G standards, or other known signals.

[0014]

[0023] As used herein, “RF signals” comprise electromagnetic waves that transport information through the space between a transmitter (or transmitting device) and a receiver (or receiving device). A transmitter as used herein may transmit a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver is sometimes referred to as a “multipath” RF signal. Furthermore, while the terms “mobile device” and “user equipment (UE)” as used herein may be used interchangeably, it should be understood that not all UEs are necessarily mobile.

[0015]

[0024] As stated, fusing sensor data from a mobile device with one or more location determinations for the mobile device can result in improved location determination of the mobile device, which may be more accurate and / or reliable than location determinations that are not fusing with sensor data. This may be because the sensor data may work to provide additional data, such as when the sensor data is more accurate than other positioning techniques, when other positioning techniques are suffering from outage or degradation of accuracy, or when the sensor data is provided more frequently (e.g., several times per second).

[0016]

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

[0017]

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

[0018]

[0027] FIG. 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 the techniques provided herein for adaptive sensor activation and configuration. The techniques described herein can 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 the 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 transmitted from the mobile device 105 and the known locations of other components (e.g., GNSS satellites 110, base station 120, AP 130) that transmit and / or receive the RF signals. Further details regarding specific location estimation techniques are described in more detail with respect to FIG. 2. In an LTE or 5G NR network (e.g., as shown in FIG. 2), the mobile device 105 may be referred to as a user equipment (UE).

[0019]

[0028] Figure 1 is merely provided to offer a generalized view of various components, and any or all of them may be utilized as appropriate, and each of them may be replicated as needed. Specifically, although 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 more or fewer base stations 120 and / or APs 130 than shown in Figure 1. The illustrated connections connecting the various components in the positioning system 100 may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks, with data and signaling connections. Further, the components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted according to 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, network 170 may comprise any of various wireless and / or wireline networks. Network 170 may comprise any combination of, for example, public and / or private networks, local and / or wide area networks. Furthermore, network 170 may utilize one or more wired and / or wireless communication technologies. In some embodiments, network 170 may comprise, for example, cellular or other mobile networks, wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless wide area networks (WWANs), and / or the internet. Examples of network 170 include Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless networks, 5G wireless networks (also called New Radio (NR) wireless networks or fifth-generation (5G) NR wireless networks), Wi-Fi WLANs, and the internet. LTE, 5G, and NR are wireless technologies defined or defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®). Network 170 may also comprise 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 commutably 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 the various wireless technologies described herein. Depending on the technology of the network 170, the base station 120 may comprise a Node B, an Advanced Node B (eNode B or eNB), a Base Station Transceiver Station (BTS), a Radio Base Station (RBS), an NR Node B (gNB), a Next Generation eNB (ng-eNB), and the like. A base station 120 that is a gNB or an ng-eNB may be part of a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) that can connect to the 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, a mobile device 105 can send and receive information with network-connected devices such as a location server 160 by accessing the network 170 via the base station 120 using a first communication link 133. As an addition or alternative, AP130 can also be coupled to network 170 so that mobile device 105 can use a second communication link 135 to communicate with network-connected and Internet-connected devices, including location server 160.

[0022]

[0031] As used herein, the term “base station” can generally refer to a single physical transmit point or a plurality of colocated physical transmit points that may be located at base station 120. A transmit / receive point (TRP) (also known as a transmit / receive point) corresponds to this type of transmit point, and the term “TRP” may be used herein interchangeably with the terms “gNB,” “ng-eNB,” and “base station.” In some cases, base station 120 may comprise multiple TRPs, for example, each TRP being associated with a different antenna or different antenna array for base station 120. A physical transmit point may comprise an array of antennas at base station 120 (for example, as in a multi-input multiple-output (MIMO) system and / or when the base station employs beamforming). The term “base station” can further refer to a plurality of uncolocated physical transmit 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 radiohead (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station).

[0023]

[0032] As used herein, the term “cell” may generally refer to a logical communication entity used for communication with base station 120 and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a 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 of a geographical coverage area (e.g., a sector) on which a logical entity operates.

[0024]

[0033] The location server 160 may include a server and / or other computing device configured to determine the estimated location of the mobile device 105 and / or to provide the mobile device 105 with data (e.g., “support data”) to facilitate location measurement and / or location determination by the mobile device 105. According to some embodiments, the location server 160 may include a Home SUPL Location Platform (H-SLP) that supports Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) User Plane (UP) location solutions as defined by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) and can 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 include a Discovery SLP (D-SLP) or an Emergency SLP (E-SLP). The location server 160 may also include an Extended Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) that supports the location of the mobile device 105 using a Control Plane (CP) location solution for LTE radio access by the mobile device 105. The location server 160 may further include location management functions (LMF) to support 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 the CP location solution, signaling for controlling and managing the location of the mobile device 105 can be exchanged between elements of network 170 and with the mobile device 105 using existing network interfaces and protocols, as well as as signaling from the perspective of network 170. In the UP location solution, signaling for controlling and managing the location of the mobile device 105 can be exchanged between the location server 160 and the mobile device 105 as data from the perspective of network 170 (for example, data transported using Internet Protocol (IP) and / or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)).

[0026]

[0035] As described above (and in more detail below), the estimated location of the mobile device 105 may be based on measurements of RF signals transmitted from and / or received by the mobile device 105. In particular, these measurements can provide information about the relative distance and / or angle of the mobile device 105 from one or more components in the positioning system 100 (e.g., GNSS satellite 110, AP 130, base station 120). 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 one or more components.

[0027]

[0036] While ground components such as AP130 and base station 120 may be fixed, embodiments are not limited in this way. Mobile components may be used. For example, in some embodiments, the location of a mobile device 105 may be estimated 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 locating a particular mobile device 105, the mobile device 105 whose location is to be determined may be called the “target” or “target UE,” and each of the one or more other mobile devices 145 used may be called an “anchor” or “anchor UE.” For the location of the target UE, the location of each of the one or more anchor UEs may be known and / or determined together with the target UE. Direct communication between one or more other mobile devices 145 and the mobile device 105 may involve sidelink and / or similar device-to-device (D2D) communication techniques. Sidelink, as defined by 3GPP, is a form of D2D communication under cellular-based LTE and NR standards.

[0028]

[0037] The estimated location of mobile device 105 may be used in a variety of applications, for example, to assist in direction finding or navigation for the user of mobile device 105, or to assist another user (e.g., associated with an external client 180) in locating mobile device 105. Hereinafter, “location” is also referred to as “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 “positioning,” “location determination,” or “location determination.” The location of mobile device 105 may comprise either the absolute location of mobile device 105 (e.g., latitude and longitude and possibly altitude) or the relative location of mobile device 105 (e.g., a location expressed as a distance north or south, east or west, and possibly up or down from some other known fixed location or some known location for mobile device 105 at a previous time). A location may be designated as a geodetic location with coordinates that are 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 in a coordinate system defined for a local area such as a factory, warehouse, university campus, shopping mall, sports stadium, or convention center). A location may instead be a city location, in which case it may include a street address (e.g., a name or label for a country, state, county, city, road and / or street, and / or road or street number), and / or one or more labels or names for a place, building, part of a building, floor of a building, and / or room within a building.The location may further include indications of uncertainty or error, such as horizontal and possibly vertical distances where the location is expected to be incorrect, or indications of an area or volume (e.g., a circle or ellipse) where 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 has some association with the mobile device 105 (for example, that can be accessed by the user of the mobile device 105), or it may be a server, application, or computer system that provides location services to some other person or group of users, which may include obtaining and providing the location of the mobile device 105 (for example, to enable services such as a friends or relatives 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 emergency service providers, government agencies, etc.

[0030]

[0039] As described above, the exemplary positioning system 100 may be implemented using a wireless communication network such as an LTE-based or 5G NR-based network. Figure 2 shows a diagram of a 5G NR positioning system 200, which illustrates one embodiment of a positioning system implementing 5G NR (for example, positioning system 100). The 5G NR positioning system 200 may be configured to determine the location of a UE 205 (corresponding to a mobile device 105 in Figure 1) by using access nodes 210, 214, 216 (which may correspond to base stations 120 and access points 130 in Figure 1) and (optionally) 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 comprising a next-generation (NG) radio access network (RAN) (NG-RAN) 235 and a 5G core network (5G CN) 240. 5G networks are sometimes called NR networks, NG-RAN235 is sometimes called 5G RAN or NR RAN, and 5G CN240 is sometimes called NG core network. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may further utilize information from GNSS satellites 110 from GNSS systems 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] Figure 2 merely provides a generalized diagram of the various components, and it should be noted that any or all of them may be used as appropriate, and each of them may be duplicated or omitted as needed. In detail, only one UE 205 is shown, but it should 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 larger (or smaller) number of GNSS satellites 110, gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, wireless local area network (WLAN) 216, access and mobility management function (AMF) 215, external clients 230, and / or other components. The illustrated connections connecting the various components in the 5G NR positioning system 200 may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks, including data and signaling connections. Furthermore, the components can be rearranged, combined, separated, substituted, and / or omitted depending on the desired function.

[0032]

[0041] The UE205 may be a device, mobile device, wireless device, mobile terminal, terminal, mobile station (MS), Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) enabled terminal (SET), or may be referred to as such or by any other name. In addition, the UE205 may be compatible with cell phones, smartphones, laptops, tablets, personal data assistants (PDAs), tracking devices, navigation devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, or any other portable or mobile devices. Generally, but not necessarily, the UE205 may support wireless communications using one or more radio access technologies (RATs), such as GSM, CDMA, W-CDMA, LTE, High Speed ​​Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX®), and 5G NR (using, for example, NG-RAN235 and 5G CN240). UE205 may also support wireless communication using a WLAN216 that can connect to other networks such as the Internet (as one or more RATs, and as described above with respect to Figure 1). The use of one or more of these RATs may enable UE205 to communicate with an external client 230 (for example, via an element of a 5G CN240 not shown in Figure 2, or possibly via a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC)225), and / or enable the external client 230 to receive location information about UE205 (for example, via the GMLC225). The external client 230 in Figure 2 may correspond to the external client 180 in Figure 1 that is implemented in or communicably coupled to a 5G NR network.

[0033]

[0042] UE205 may include a single entity or multiple entities, such as in a personal area network where the user may employ audio, video, and / or data I / O devices, and / or body sensors, as well as separate wireline or wireless modems. The location estimate for UE205 may be called location, location estimate, location fix, fix, position, location estimate, or location fix, and may provide location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) for UE205 that are geodetic and therefore may or may not include elevation components (e.g., height above sea level, height above or below ground level, floor level or basement level). Alternatively, the location for UE205 may be represented as a city location (e.g., as a postal address, or as the designation of some point or small area within a building, such as a specific room or floor). The location of a UE205 can also be represented as an area or volume (defined either geodesically or in urban form) in which the UE205 is expected to be located with a certain probability or level of confidence (e.g., 67%, 95%). The location of a UE205 can further be a relative location with distance and direction or relative X, Y (and Z) coordinates defined with respect to some origin in a known location, which may be defined, for example, geodesically, with respect to a city, or by referring to a point, area, or volume shown on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the descriptions contained herein, the use of the term location may have any of these variations unless otherwise specified. When calculating the location of a UE, it is common to obtain local X, Y, and possibly Z coordinate values ​​and then, if necessary, convert the local coordinates to absolute coordinates (e.g., with respect to latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level).

[0034]

[0043] The base stations in NG-RAN235 shown in Figure 2 may correspond to base station 120 in Figure 1 and may include NR nodes B (gNB) 210-1 and 210-2 (collectively and generically referred to herein as gNB210). Pairs of gNB210 in NG-RAN235 may be connected to each other (for example, directly as shown in Figure 2, or indirectly via other gNB210). Access to the 5G network is provided to UE205 via wireless communication between UE205 and one or more gNB210 that can provide wireless communication access to 5G CN240 for UE205 using 5G NR. 5G NR radio access may also be referred to as NR radio access or 5G radio access. In Figure 2, it is assumed that the serving gNB for UE205 is gNB210-1, but other gNBs (e.g., gNB210-2) could act as serving gNBs if UE205 moved to a different location, or as secondary gNBs to provide UE205 with additional throughput and bandwidth.

[0035]

[0044] The base stations in NG-RAN235 shown in Figure 2 may also include next-generation advanced node B214, also known as ng-eNB. ng-eNB214 may connect to one or more gNB210s in NG-RAN235, for example, directly or indirectly via other gNB210s and / or other ng-eNBs. ng-eNB214 may provide LTE wireless access and / or advanced LTE (eLTE) wireless access to UE205. Some gNB210s (e.g., gNB210-2) and / or ng-eNB214s in Figure 2 may be configured to function as positioning-only beacons, capable of transmitting signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) and / or broadcasting support data to assist in positioning UE205, but may not receive signals from UE205 or other UEs. Note that while only one ng-eNB214 is shown in Figure 2, some embodiments may include multiple ng-eNB214s. Base stations 210 and 214 may communicate directly with each other via the Xn communication interface. Additionally or alternatively, base stations 210 and 214 may communicate directly or indirectly with other components of the 5G NR positioning system 200, such as LMF220 and AMF215.

[0036]

[0045] The 5G NR positioning system 200 may also include one or more WLANs 216 that can connect to a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) 250 in the 5G CN 240 (for example, in the case of an untrusted WLAN 216). For example, a WLAN 216 may support IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi access for the UE 205 and may comprise one or more Wi-Fi APs (for example, AP 130 in Figure 1). Here, the N3IWF 250 may connect to other elements in the 5G CN 240, such as the AMF 215. In some embodiments, the WLAN 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 WLAN 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 N3IWF250 may support establishing an IPSec tunnel with the UE205, terminating the IKEv2 / IPSec protocol with the UE205, terminating the N2 and N3 interfaces to the 5G CN240 for the control plane and user plane, respectively, and relaying uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) control plane non-access layer (NAS) signaling between the UE205 and AMF215 across the N1 interface. In some other embodiments, the WLAN216 may connect directly to elements in the 5G CN240 (e.g., the AMF215 as shown by the dashed line in Figure 2) without going through the N3IWF250. For example, direct connection of the WLAN216 to the 5G CN240 may be done if the WLAN216 is a trusted WLAN for the 5G CN240 and may be enabled using a Trusted WLAN Interworking Function (TWIF), which may be an element within the WLAN216 (not shown in Figure 2). Although only one WLAN216 is shown in Figure 2, please note that some embodiments may include multiple WLAN216s.

[0037]

[0046] An access node may comprise any of various network entities that enable communication between the UE205 and the AMF215. This may include a gNB210, ng-eNB214, WLAN216, 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 various RATs not shown in Figure 2, which may include non-cellular technologies. Therefore, the term “access node” as used in the embodiments described below may include, but is not necessarily limited to, a gNB210, ng-eNB214, or WLAN216.

[0038]

[0047] In some embodiments, access nodes such as gNB210, ng-eNB214, or WLAN216 may be configured (either alone or in combination with other components of the 5G NR positioning system 200) to acquire location measurements of uplink (UL) signals (received from UE205) in response to receiving a request for location information from LMF220, and / or to acquire DL location measurements from UE205 for downlink (DL) signals received by UE205 from one or more access nodes. As stated, Figure 2 shows access nodes 210, 214, and 216 configured to communicate according to 5G NR, LTE, and Wi-Fi communication protocols, respectively, but access nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols may be used, such as node B using the WCDMA® protocol for Universal Mobile Telecommunications Services (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), eNB using the LTE protocol for Advanced UTRAN (E-UTRAN), or Bluetooth beacon using the Bluetooth protocol for WLAN. For example, in a 4G Advanced Packet System (EPS) providing LTE wireless access to UE205, the RAN may comprise an E-UTRAN, which may comprise base stations equipped with eNBs supporting LTE wireless access. The core network for the EPS may comprise an Advanced Packet Core (EPC). In that case, the EPS may comprise an E-UTRAN+EPC, where E-UTRAN corresponds to NG-RAN235 and EPC corresponds to 5G CN240 in Figure 2. The methods and techniques described herein for obtaining urban locations for UE205 may be applicable to other such networks.

[0039]

[0048] The gNB210 and ng-eNB214 can communicate with the AMF215, which communicates with the LMF220, for positioning purposes. The AMF215 may support the mobility of the UE205, including cell changes and handovers of the UE205 from access nodes 210, 214, or 216 of a first RAT to access nodes 210, 214, or 216 of a second RAT. The AMF215 may also participate in supporting signaling connections to the UE205 and, optionally, data and voice bearers for the UE205. The LMF220 can support the positioning of the UE205 using the CP location solution when the UE205 accesses the NG-RAN235 or WLAN216, and can support positioning procedures and methods including UE-assisted / UE-based and / or network-based procedures / methods, such as A-GNSS (A-GNSS), Observed Time of Arrival (OTDOA) (sometimes called Time of Arrival Difference (TDOA) in NR), Real-time Kinematic (RTK), Precision Single Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Extended 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 LMF220 can also process location service requests for the UE205 received from, for example, the AMF215 or GMLC225. The LMF220 can be connected to the AMF215 and / or GMLC225. In some embodiments, a network such as 5G CN240 may implement other types of location support modules, such as an Advanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) or SUPL Location Platform (SLP), as an addition or alternative.It should be noted that in some embodiments, at least part of the positioning function (including determining the location of the UE205) may be performed in the UE205 by measuring downlink PRS (DL-PRS) signals transmitted by wireless nodes such as gNB210, ng-eNB214 and / or WLAN216, and / or using supporting data provided to the UE205 by LMF220, for example.

[0040]

[0049] The Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 225 may support location requests for the UE 205 received from an external client 230 and may forward such location requests to the AMF 215 for forwarding to the LMF 220 by the AMF 215. The location response from the LMF 220 (including, for example, a location estimate for the UE 205) may similarly be returned to the GMLC 225 either directly or via the AMF 215, and the GMLC 225 may then return the location response (including, for example, a location estimate) to the external client 230.

[0041]

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

[0042]

[0051] As further shown in Figure 2, the LMF220 may communicate with the gNB210 and / or ng-eNB214 using the NR Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa) as defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.445. NRPPa messages may be transmitted between the gNB210 and the LMF220, and / or between the ng-eNB214 and the LMF220, via the AMF215. As further shown in Figure 2, the LMF220 and the UE205 may communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) as defined in 3GPP TS 37.355. Here, LPP messages may be transmitted between the UE205 and the LMF220 via the AMF215 and serving gNB210-1 or serving ng-eNB214 for the UE205. For example, LPP messages may be transmitted between the LMF220 and AMF215 using messages for service-based operation (e.g., based on the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)), and between the AMF215 and UE205 using the 5G NAS protocol. The LPP protocol may be used to support the positioning of the UE205 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based positioning methods such as A-GNSS, RTK, TDOA, multi-cell RTT, AOD, and / or ECID. The NRPPa protocol may be used to support the positioning of the UE205 using network-based positioning methods such as ECID, AOA, and uplink TDOA (UL-TDOA), and may also be used by the LMF220 to obtain location-related information from the gNB210 and / or ng-eNB214, such as parameters defining DL-PRS transmissions from the gNB210 and / or ng-eNB214.

[0043]

[0052] For UE205 access to WLAN216, LMF220 may use NRPPa and / or LPP to obtain the location of UE205 in a similar manner to that just described for UE205 access to gNB210 or ng-eNB214. Thus, NRPPa messages may be forwarded between WLAN216 and LMF220 via AMF215 and N3IWF250 to support network-based positioning of UE205 and / or forwarding of other location information from WLAN216 to LMF220. Alternatively, NRPPa messages may be forwarded between N3IWF250 and LMF220 via AMF215 to support network-based positioning of UE205 based on location relation information and / or location measurements that are known to or accessible to N3IWF250 and forwarded from N3IWF250 to LMF220 using NRPPa. Similarly, LPP and / or LPP messages may be forwarded between the UE205 and the LMF220 via the AMF215, N3IWF250, and serving WLAN216 for the UE205 to support UE-assisted or UE-based positioning of the UE205 by the LMF220.

[0044]

[0053] In the 5G NR positioning system 200, the positioning method can be categorized as either "UE-assisted" or "UE-based." This may depend on where the request to determine the location of the UE 205 originates. For example, if the request originates in the UE (e.g., from an application or "app" run by the UE), the positioning method can be categorized as UE-based. On the other hand, if the request originates from an external client or from the AF230, LMF220, or other device or service within the 5G network, the positioning method can be categorized as UE-assisted (or "network-based").

[0045]

[0054] In the UE-assisted positioning method, UE205 may acquire location measurements and send them to a location server (e.g., LMF220) for the calculation of a location estimate for UE205. In the RAT-dependent positioning method, location measurements may include one or more of the following for one or more access points for gNB210, ng-eNB214, and / or WLAN216: Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Round-Trip Signal Propagation Time (RTT), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Time of Arrival (TOA), AOA, Receive Time-Transmit Time Difference (Rx-Tx), Differential AOA (DAOA), AOD, or Timing Advance (TA). Additionally or alternatively, similar measurements of sidelink signals transmitted by other UEs that can act as anchor points for UE205 positioning may be performed if the locations of the other UEs are known. Location measurements may also include, or instead of, measurements for RAT-independent positioning methods such as GNSS (e.g., GNSS pseudorange, GNSS code phase, and / or GNSS carrier phase for GNSS satellite 110), WLAN, etc.

[0046]

[0055] In a UE-based positioning method, UE205 may acquire a location measurement (which may be the same as or similar to a location measurement for a UE-assisted positioning method, for example), and its location may be further calculated (with the help of support data received from a location server such as LMF220, SLP, or broadcast by gNB210, ng-eNB214, or WLAN216, for example).

[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 acquire location measurements (e.g., RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, or TOA measurements) for signals transmitted by UE205, and / or receive measurements acquired by UE205, or in the case of N3IWF250, by APs in WLAN216, and send those measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF220) for the calculation of a location estimate for UE205.

[0048]

[0057] Positioning in the UE205 can also be categorized as UL, DL, or DL-UL based, depending on the type of signal used for positioning. For example, if positioning is based solely on signals received by the UE205 (e.g., from a base station or other UE), the positioning can be categorized as DL-based. On the other hand, if positioning is based solely on signals transmitted by the UE205 (e.g., which may be received by a base station or other UE), the positioning can be categorized as UL-based. DL-UL-based positioning includes positioning such as RTT-based positioning, which is based on signals that are both transmitted and received by the UE205. Sidelink (SL)-assisted positioning involves signals communicated between the UE205 and one or more other UEs. According to some embodiments, the UL, DL, or DL-UL positioning described herein may be able to use 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 include PRS (e.g., DL-PRS transmitted by a base station or SL-PRS transmitted by another UE) which can be used for TDOA, AOD, and RTT measurements. Other reference signals that can be used for positioning (UL, DL, or DL-UL) may include sounding reference signals (SRS), channel status information reference signals (CSI-RS), synchronization signals (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB) synchronization signals (SS)), physical uplink control channels (PUCCH), physical uplink shared channels (PUSCH), physical sidelink shared channels (PSSCH), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), etc. Furthermore, the reference signal may be transmitted in the Tx beam and / or received in the Rx beam (for example, using beamforming techniques), which may affect angle measurements such as AOD and / or AOA.

[0050]

[0059] As described above, positioning of mobile devices (e.g., mobile devices 105 and / or UE205) can be performed using a variety of positioning methods. As used herein, the terms “RAT-dependent” or “RAT-based” positioning generally refer to SL, UL, DL, or DL-UL based positioning within 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 WLAN, etc. As further noted, sensor “fusion,” or fusion of sensor data from a mobile device with one or more of these positioning techniques, can improve the positioning performance of legacy positioning techniques. A more detailed indication of the types of data that can be fused to provide this improved positioning determination for mobile devices is provided in Figure 3.

[0051]

[0060] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the types of data that may be used to provide improved positioning determination according to the embodiment. Here, blocks 310-360 represent various data sources, many or all of which may be taken from the hardware and / or software components of a mobile device, as will be shown 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 include location determination of mobile devices using SL, UL, DL, or DL-UL based positioning within a data communication network, as described above. In UE-based positioning, the location of a mobile device may be determined by the mobile device itself, in which case the mobile device itself can act as a source for RAT-dependent positioning 310. In UE-assisted positioning, the location of a mobile device may be determined by a network device, such as a location server, in which case the network device can act as a source for RAT-dependent positioning 310.

[0053]

[0062] RAT-independent positioning 315 may comprise one or more different types of positioning that may not depend on the wireless case network, as previously shown. This may include GNSS-based positioning 320, WLAN-based positioning 325, and / or Bluetooth-based positioning 330. Each positioning type may provide the mobile device's own location determination 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 330 using Bluetooth beacons) may be performed by the mobile device without communication with other devices. As an addition or alternative, some forms of RAT-independent positioning 315 (e.g., GNSS-based positioning 320 using real-time kinematic (RTK) correction, WLAN-based positioning 325 using RTT-based measurements, 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 Figure 3. Alternative embodiments may include additional or alternative types of sensors, depending on the desired functionality. As shown, the sensor data 335 may include data from 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., in a time window and / or from a previous point in time), change of orientation (e.g., rotation), acceleration, and the like.

[0055]

[0064] The fused logic 380 may comprise a positioning engine capable of providing a composite positioning output that uses 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. Different weighting techniques may be used when determining how each input should be used, where additional weights may be given, for example, to more reliable and / or accurate sources. In some embodiments, the fused logic 380 may comprise an extended Kalman filter (EKF) and / or other Kalman filters, weighted least squares (WLS), a hatch filter, a particle filter, and the like. The fused logic 380 may be executed in software by, for example, one or more processing units.

[0056]

[0065] As stated, the mobile device itself may run 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, the location server then determines the location of the mobile device and sends sensor data from the mobile device to the location server, which can be inefficient. This will be explained in more detail below with respect to Figure 4.

[0057]

[0066] Figure 4 is a call flow diagram illustrating the basic exchange of support data (AD) and reports between a mobile device 105 (e.g., UE205) and a location server 160 (e.g., LMF220) during a positioning session for UE-assisted positioning, according to one embodiment. This could represent, for example, an LPP positioning session between the mobile device 105 and the location server 160, but the embodiment is not necessarily limited to LPP positioning. Furthermore, it will be understood 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 the initiation of a positioning session between the mobile device 105 and the location server 160. In UE-assisted positioning of the mobile device 105, the location server 160 may contact the mobile device 105 to initiate a positioning session. Preliminary information, such as the capabilities of the mobile device 105 and / or the location server 160, may also be exchanged. The initiation of a positioning session at arrow 410 may further indicate the type of positioning to be performed, which may depend on capabilities. This may include positioning types in which measurement information taken by the mobile device 105 should be reported back to the 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 cases where the mobile device 105 may require configuration information regarding a reference signal (e.g., PRS resources), the location server 160 may provide the mobile device 105 with support data, which may be in response to the mobile device's request for support data. This exchange is indicated by a double arrow 420.

[0060]

[0069] The location server 160 may then request location information, as indicated by arrow 430. The location information may include measurements taken of the PRS resource identified in the support data and / or other location-related data, which are taken by the mobile device 105, as indicated by block 440. These (one or more) measurements / data are included in the 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 containing (one or more) measurements / data 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 by 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 acquiring and providing measurements / data, which it may do at a configured repetition rate / periodicity. In this regard, the location server 160 may, in response, update the calculated location of the mobile device 105. Depending on the desired function, the location server 160 may determine a single device location or multiple device locations (e.g., updated locations) based on these repetitions. According to some embodiments, additional support data exchange and / or location information requests may also occur during the positioning session between the mobile device 105 and the location server 160.

[0062]

[0071] Sensor data may be provided by the mobile device 105 to the location server 160 (e.g., in location information transmission messages and / or other messages) to enable the location server to determine improved mobile device location by fusing the sensor data with other location information. However, the conventional technique for enabling the reporting of sensor data in a location session between the mobile device 105 and the location server 160 does not have a way to deactivate the reporting of sensor data throughout the course of the positioning session. Instead, if activated, the reporting of sensor data is reported by the mobile device throughout the positioning session (e.g., with each repetition of the location information provision message in arrow 450), regardless of whether the sensor data remains useful or not. As stated above, the transmission of sensor data may consume RF resources, and the use of the sensor and the reporting of sensor data may increase power consumption by the mobile device 105. Therefore, if the sensor data is inaccurate or incorrect, it may lead to these drawbacks without providing the added benefit of improved mobile device location.

[0063]

[0072] To address these and other issues, the embodiment provides adaptive sensor activation and deactivation, allowing the mobile device 105 and / or location server 160 to activate and deactivate sensor data reporting by the mobile device 105. Switching between these operating modes (active and inactive) can be done rapidly during a positioning session between the mobile device 105 and the location server 160. Thus, the mobile device 105 and / or location server 160 can dynamically activate and deactivate sensor data reporting by the mobile device 105 as needed to adapt to changing conditions that may affect the mobile device's positioning during a positioning session. In detail, if the sensor data does not provide any benefit in improving the mobile device 105's positioning, the sensor data reporting by the mobile device 105 may be deactivated, saving RF resources and battery consumption of transmitting this data. Furthermore, the mobile device may deactivate the sensor itself if the sensor is not being used separately by other functions of the mobile device.

[0064]

[0073] Activation or deactivation of sensor reports by the mobile device 105 may be performed 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 reports, in which case the location server 160 may provide a message to the mobile device 105 instructing it to activate or deactivate the sensor data reports. Additionally or alternatively, the mobile device 105 may decide whether to activate or deactivate sensor data reports, in which case the mobile device 105 may send a request to the location server 160 in a message to perform the activation / deactivation, and / or in notification to the location server 160 of the activation / deactivation. Such messages between the location server 160 and the mobile device 105 may be transmitted during a positioning session, such as as shown in Figure 4. According to some embodiments, for example, activation and / or deactivation may occur while the mobile device is acquiring and reporting (one or more) measurements / data (e.g., repeating operations 440-450). In some implementations, this may be in addition to initial activation or deactivation at the beginning of a positioning session. For example, after first receiving the capabilities of the mobile device 105 when starting 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 mobile device determines activation and / or deactivation are provided below with respect to Figures 5-8.

[0065]

[0074] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary logical flow that may be performed by a location server to activate and / or deactivate mobile device sensor data reporting according to one embodiment. As stated, this may be performed by the mobile device during the course of a positioning session, such as the positioning session shown in Figure 4, at the beginning of the positioning session (for example, to initially activate or deactivate sensor data reporting) and / or during the time period in which the mobile device provides periodic reporting of location information.

[0066]

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

[0067]

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

[0068]

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

[0069]

[0078] In RAT-dependent positioning for mobile devices, insufficient quality RF signals used for positioning the mobile device can lead to inaccurate location determination of the mobile device. For example, for RF signals measured by a UE for positioning (e.g., DL-PRS transmitted by one or more TRPs), the UE may provide the location server with the RF signal quality (e.g., SNR value) of one or more RF signals. Additionally or alternatively, for RF signals transmitted by a UE for positioning (e.g., SRS), one or more TRPs measuring the transmitted RF signals may provide the location server with the RF signal quality of one or more RF signals. Thus, in some embodiments, a signal quality metric falling below a threshold may be a trigger condition for activating sensor data reporting, or 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 the activation of sensor data reporting. For example, positioning signals for RAT-dependent positioning are relatively infrequent, e.g., with a periodicity of 160 ms. On the other hand, sensor data sampling by a mobile device may be much more frequent, e.g., every 10 ms or less. Thus, sensor data may be used to help interpolate / estimate RAT-dependent positioning, which is performed at a less frequent frequency, and provide a better intermediate position fix. Reporting of this sensor data by a mobile device may be performed at the same frequency as sampling, or at a slower frequency. In the latter case, the sensor data may be accumulated (along with the corresponding timestamp) and sent in batches. In any case, according to some embodiments, the frequency of sensor sampling exceeding a threshold and / or the frequency of other positioning techniques falling below a threshold may be trigger conditions for activating sensor data reporting, or may be factors considered when activating sensor data reporting.

[0071]

[0080] The trigger conditions for deactivating sensor data reporting (considered in block 540) can vary depending on the desired function. According to some embodiments, they can mimic trigger conditions for activating sensor data, but inversely. That is, if the trigger conditions for activating sensor data reporting are no longer met, it can trigger deactivation of sensor data reporting. Thus, trigger conditions for deactivating sensor data reporting may include, for example, (i) the uncertainty value of mobile device location estimation falls below a threshold (or the accuracy value exceeds a threshold), (ii) the signal quality metric (e.g., SNR value) exceeds a threshold, (iii) the frequency of sensor sampling exceeds a threshold, (iv) the frequency of other positioning techniques falls below a threshold, or (v) any combination thereof.

[0072]

[0081] According to some embodiments, a determination that sensor data is incorrect may, as an addition or alternative, be used as a trigger condition for deactivating sensor data. That is, sensor data may be determined to be incorrect when compared to a position fix obtained using other measurements (e.g., RF measurements). For example, if sensor data indicates a large amount of movement of a mobile device, and 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 incorrect sensor data. In such cases, sensor data error may be a trigger condition for deactivating sensor data reporting, or one of many factors considered when deactivating sensor data reporting.

[0073]

[0082] The functions in blocks 550 and 560 each involve sending messages to the UE to activate or deactivate sensor data reporting. This may be provided, for example, by a location server via LPP messaging (e.g., using Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages). Furthermore, in some embodiments, messages may consist of existing LPP messages, such as messages for requesting capability, requesting sensor data, delivering support data, requesting location information, aborting LPP procedures, 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 a mobile device may be sent via Media Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) and / or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0074]

[0083] It should be noted that activating or deactivating sensor data reporting may apply to different subsets of sensors, such as a single sensor on a mobile device, a group of sensors, or all (related) sensors. For example, if data from a single sensor is determined to be erroneous (for example, in light of data from other sensors and / or location determination), reporting for that sensor may be deactivated. Therefore, messages sent in block 550 or block 560 may each contain instructions on which (one or more) sensors should be activated or deactivated.

[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 the positioning session to adaptively activate / deactivate sensor data reporting. In some embodiments, for example, the process may start at the beginning of the positioning session and be repeated until the positioning session ends. Additional or alternative, several triggers within the positioning session may cause the location server to execute (or re-execute) the process in Figure 5. These triggers may include instructions from the mobile device regarding its ability to report sensor data, instructions that sensor data reporting has been activated / deactivated, instructions regarding the mobile device's need for improved positioning, etc.

[0076]

[0085] As stated, in addition to or as an alternative to the location server deciding whether to activate or deactivate sensor data reporting, a mobile device may make that decision. An example of how a mobile device can perform this function is shown in Figure 6 and described below.

[0077]

[0086] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary logical flow that may be performed by a mobile device to activate and / or deactivate mobile device sensor data reporting according to one embodiment. In this case as well, this may be performed by the mobile device at the beginning of a positioning session (for example, to initially activate or deactivate sensor data reporting) and / or during the time period in which the mobile device is providing periodic reporting of location information, such as the positioning session shown in Figure 4.

[0078]

[0087] Generally speaking, the functions in blocks 610-640 can largely mimic the corresponding functions 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. As an addition to or alternative to the trigger conditions described with respect to Figure 5, which are considered by the location server, the mobile device may consider other trigger conditions in blocks 630 and 640, respectively, to activate or deactivate 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 the potential improvement in the mobile device's position estimation that can be gained from reporting sensor data (which may include activating sensors) is not worth the additional power draw from the battery, the mobile device may deactivate sensor data reporting from one or more sensors, or activate sensor data reporting only for sensors that draw a relatively low amount of power. Thus, in some embodiments, a battery power level below a threshold may be a trigger condition for deactivating sensor data reporting, or one of many factors considered when deactivating sensor data reporting.

[0080]

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

[0081]

[0090] If a mobile device determines that the activation trigger condition has been met in block 630, it may activate sensor data reporting by sending a report message along with sensor data, as shown in block 650. Conversely, if a mobile device determines that the deactivation trigger condition has been met in block 640, it may deactivate sensor data reporting by sending a report message without sensor data, as shown in block 650. In this case as well, 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 occur at the per-sensor level, apply to a group of sensors, or apply to all available sensors, and this may depend on the (one or more) trigger conditions that have been met.

[0082]

[0091] As shown by the dashed blocks in Figure 6, alternative embodiments may include one or more optional functions. 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 report before activation / deactivation, as shown in blocks 660 and 665. Furthermore, the mobile device may refrain from activating / deactivating the sensor data report until it receives an acknowledgment (ACK) from the location server, as shown in blocks 670 and 675. Finally, activating / deactivating the sensor data report of one or more sensors may include activating / deactivating the sensors themselves, as shown in blocks 680 and 685. The mobile device may activate / deactivate one or more sensors, for example, if one or more sensors are not being used separately by other functions of the mobile device.

[0083]

[0092] According to some embodiments, messages sent to the location server may involve LPP messaging. However, other embodiments may utilize faster means, similar to the process shown in Figure 5. For example, according to some embodiments, one or more messages may be sent from the mobile device to the location server 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 can be further influenced by the configuration received from the location server. That is, according to some embodiments, the server can 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.) and sensor data quality thresholds (e.g., QoS thresholds for one or more sensors). Thus, the mobile device can make a decision on whether to activate / deactivate sensor data reporting, while the location server can provide the mobile device with thresholds to do so, thereby enabling the location server to opportunistically / adaptively utilize sensor data to adapt to different conditions that may affect the quality of location determination in the network. Furthermore, it should be noted that by setting these thresholds extremely high or extremely low, the location server can effectively turn sensor data reporting on or off. In this case as well, this messaging can be sent, for example, via RRC, MAC-CE, or DCI. In some embodiments, for example, a location server may provide thresholds / configurations via RRC messaging and activation / deactivation by the location server, and / or mobile devices 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 in blocks 660 and 665 and / or in the report in blocks 650 and 655. In some embodiments, this may simply be a flag (e.g., a single bit) indicating that the sensor data report has been activated or deactivated. In some embodiments, the mobile device may optionally include the reason for activation / deactivation by indicating, for example, that a certain threshold has been met for activation / deactivation.

[0086]

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

[0087]

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

[0088]

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

[0089]

[0098] Means for performing the functions in process block 710 may include hardware and / or software components of the computer system, such as the bus 1005, (one or more) processing units 1010, the communication subsystem 1030, the working memory 1035, and / or other components of the computer system 1000, as shown in Figure 10 below.

[0090]

[0099] As further shown in Figure 7, the function in process block 720 includes sending a message from the location server to the mobile device that contains either an instruction to activate reporting in response to the determination that a first trigger condition has been met, or an instruction to deactivate reporting in response to the determination that a second trigger condition has been met. As shown in the embodiments described above, the message may be sent via RRC, MAC-CE, DCI, or a combination thereof. Also, as shown, activation or deactivation may be specific to a subset of the mobile device's sensors. 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 the determination that a first trigger condition has been met, or the message further indicates which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated in response to the determination that a second trigger condition has been met.

[0091]

[0100] Means for performing the functions in process block 720 may include hardware and / or software components of the computer system, such as the bus 1005, (one or more) processing units 1010, communication subsystem 1030, working memory 1035, and / or other components of the computer system 1000, as shown in Figure 10 below.

[0092]

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

[0093]

[0102] As shown in Figure 8, the function in process block 810 includes determining, during a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, that a first or second trigger condition has been met regarding the reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device, wherein (i) the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating reporting, and (ii) the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating reporting. According to some embodiments, the determination that the first or second trigger condition has been met may be at least partially based on the mobile device's battery power level, the wireless signal quality metric being lower than the signal quality threshold, or the sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors of the mobile device being below the sensor accuracy threshold, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, 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. In addition, according to some embodiments, the configuration message may be received via RRC, MAC-CE, DCI, or a combination thereof.

[0094]

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

[0095]

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

[0096]

[0105] Means for performing the functions in process block 820 may include hardware and / or software components of a mobile device, such as a bus 905, (one or more) processing units 910, a DSP 920, a wireless communication interface 930, (one or more) sensors 940, a memory 960, and / or other components of the mobile device 900, as shown in Figure 9 below.

[0097]

[0106] Figure 9 shows an embodiment of a mobile device 900 that may be used with respect to the UE and / or mobile device as described herein above (for example, in relation to Figures 1 to 8). For example, the mobile device 900 may perform one or more of the functions of the method shown in Figure 7. Note that Figure 9 only provides a generalized diagram of various components, and any or all of those components may be used as appropriate. Note that in some cases the components shown in Figure 9 may be localized to a single physical device and / or distributed among various networked devices. Furthermore, as stated above, the functions of the UE described in the previously described embodiments may be performed by one or more of the hardware and / or software components shown in Figure 9.

[0098]

[0107] A mobile device 900 is shown, comprising hardware elements that can be electrically coupled via bus 905 (or, as appropriate, may communicate in other ways). The hardware elements may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more dedicated processors (such as DSP chips, graphics acceleration processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), and / or other processing structures or means, and one or more processing units 910. As shown in Figure 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 units 910 and / or the wireless communication interface 930 (described below). The mobile device 900 may also include, but are not limited to, one or more input devices 970, which may include one or more keyboards, touchscreens, touchpads, 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., touchscreens), light-emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, etc.

[0099]

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

[0100]

[0109] Depending on the desired functionality, the wireless communication interface 930 may include separate receivers and transmitters, or any combination of transceivers, transmitters, and / or receivers, to communicate with base stations (e.g., ng-eNB and gNB) and other ground transceivers such as wireless devices and access points. The mobile device 900 may communicate with different data networks, which may have various 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, or a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network. A CDMA network may implement one or more RATs, such as CDMA2000 and wideband CDMA (WCDMA). CDMA2000 includes the IS-95, IS-2000, and / or IS-856 standards. TDMA networks may implement GSM, Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (D-AMPS), or any other RAT. OFDMA networks may employ LTE, LTE Advanced, 5G NR, etc. 5G NR, LTE, LTE Advanced, GSM, and WCDMA are documented from 3GPP. CDMA2000 is documented from an organization called the "3rd Generation Partnership Project X3" ("3GPP2"). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) may also be IEEE 802.11x networks, and Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) may be Bluetooth networks, IEEE 802.15x, or any other type of network. Furthermore, the techniques described herein may be used for any combination of WWANs, WLANs, and / or WPANs.

[0101]

[0110] The mobile device 900 may further include (one or more) sensors 940. The (one or more) sensors 940 may comprise one or more sensors that can be the source of sensor data reporting (e.g., sensor data 335 in Figure 3). The (one or more) sensors 940 may comprise, but are not limited to, one or more inertial sensors and / or other sensors (e.g., one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, one or more cameras, one or more magnetometers, one or more altimeters, one or more microphones, one or more proximity sensors, one or more light sensors, one or more barometers, etc.), at least some of which may be used to obtain positional relationship measurements and / or other information for sensor data reporting as described herein.

[0102]

[0111] Embodiments 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 measurement may be used to complement and / or incorporate the techniques described herein. The GNSS receiver 980 can use conventional techniques to extract the position of the mobile device 900 from GNSS satellites X110 of GNSS systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, GLONASS, the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) over Japan, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) over India, and the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) over China. Furthermore, the GNSS receiver 980 can be used with a variety of augmentation systems (e.g., Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS)) that are associated with or can be enabled for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems, such as Wide Area Augmentation Systems (WAAS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation Systems (MSAS), and Geo Augmented Navigation Systems (GAGAN).

[0103]

[0112] While the GNSS receiver 980 is shown as a separate component in Figure 9, it should be noted that embodiments are not so limited. As used herein, the term “GNSS receiver” may comprise hardware and / or software components configured to acquire GNSS measurements (measurements from GNSS satellites). In some embodiments, the GNSS receiver may thus comprise a measurement engine run (as software) by one or more processing units, such as one or more processing units 910, a DSP 920, and / or a processing unit within a wireless communication interface 930 (e.g., in a modem). The GNSS receiver may also optionally include a positioning engine that can use 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, and the like. The positioning engine may also be run by one or more processing units, such as one or more processing units 910 or a DSP 920.

[0104]

[0113] The mobile device 900 may also include and / or communicate 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 datastore, including, but is not limited to, various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0105]

[0114] The memory 960 of the mobile device 900 may also include computer programs provided by various embodiments, and / or software elements (not shown in Figure 9), including other code such as an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or one or more application programs, which may be designed to implement a method and / or configure a system, as provided by other embodiments, such as those described herein. Just as an example, one or more procedures described with respect to the (one or more) methods described above may be implemented as code and / or instructions in the memory 960 that are executable by the mobile device 900 (and / or one or more processing units 910 or DSP 920 within the mobile device 900). In one embodiment, 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 method.

[0106]

[0115] Figure 10 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a computer system 1000, which may be used in whole or in part to provide functionality for one or more network components (e.g., location server 160 and / or LMF220) described in embodiments herein. Note that Figure 10 only provides a generalized diagram of various components, and any or all of these components may be used as appropriate. Figure 10 therefore broadly illustrates how individual system elements may be implemented in a relatively isolated or relatively more integrated manner. Furthermore, note that the components shown by Figure 10 may be localized to a single device and / or distributed among various networked devices that may be located in different geographical locations.

[0107]

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

[0108]

[0117] The computer system 1000 may further include (and / or communicate with) one or more non-temporary storage devices 1025, which may include, but not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage, and / or solid-state storage devices such as disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, RAM and / or 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. Such data stores may include (one or more) databases and / or other data structures used to store and manage messages and / or other information to be sent to one or more devices via a hub, as described herein.

[0109]

[0118] The computer system 1000 may also include a communications subsystem 1030 which may include wireless communications technology managed and controlled by a wireless communications interface 1033, as well as wired communications technology (such as Ethernet®, coaxial communications, and Universal Serial Bus (USB)). The wireless communications interface 1033 may send and receive wireless signals 1055 (for example, signals via 5G NR or LTE) via one or more wireless antennas 1050. Thus, the communications subsystem 1030 may include modems, network cards (wireless or wired), infrared communications devices, wireless communications devices, and / or chipsets, etc., which may enable the computer system 1000 to communicate with any device on each network, including user equipment (UEs), base stations and / or other TRPs, and / or any other electronic devices described herein, on any or all of the communications networks described herein. Thus, the communications subsystem 1030 may be used to receive and send data as described in the embodiments described herein.

[0110]

[0119] In many embodiments, the computer system 1000 further comprises a working memory 1035, which may include a RAM or ROM device, as described above. Software elements shown as being located within the working memory 1035 may comprise computer programs provided by various embodiments as described herein, and / or 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 provided by other embodiments and / or configure the system. As mere examples, one or more procedures described with respect to the (one or more) methods described above may be implemented as code and / or instructions executable by a computer (and / or processing units within the computer), and in one embodiment, 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] These instructions and / or sets of code may be stored on a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium, such as the (one or more) storage devices 1025 described above. In some cases, the storage medium may be incorporated into 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 disc), and / or the storage medium may be provided in an installation package that can 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 can be executed by computer system 1000, and / or take the form of source code and / or installable code that then take the form of executable code when compiled and / or installed on computer system 1000 (e.g., using any of the various commonly available compilers, installers, compression / decompression utilities, etc.).

[0112]

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

[0113]

[0122] Referring to the attached diagram, components that may include memory may also include non-temporary machine-readable media. As used herein, the terms “machine-readable media” and “computer-readable media” refer to any storage medium involved in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a particular manner. In the embodiments provided above, various machine-readable media may be involved in providing instructions / code to processing units and / or (one or more) other devices for execution. In addition or alternative, machine-readable media may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code. In many implementations, computer-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media can take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile and volatile media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, magnetic and / or optical media, any other physical media with a pattern of holes, RAM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), flash EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other media 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 in relation to some embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. Various components of the figures provided herein may be implemented in hardware and / or software. Furthermore, technology is evolving, and therefore many elements are examples, and those examples do not limit the scope of this disclosure to those specific examples.

[0115]

[0124] For reasons of common usage, it is sometimes convenient to refer to such signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, terms, numbers, digits, etc. However, it should be understood that all of these or similar terms should be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely labels for convenience. Unless otherwise specified, as is evident from the above description, descriptions throughout this specification using terms such as “processing,” “calculating,” “calculating,” “determining,” “verifying,” “identifying,” “associating,” “measuring,” and “performing” should be understood to refer to actions or processes of specific devices, such as a dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device. Therefore, in the context of this specification, a dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or converting signals that are generally represented as electronic, electrical, or magnetic physical quantities in the memory, registers, or other information storage devices, transmitting devices, or display devices of the dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device.

[0116]

[0125] As used herein, the terms “and” and “or” may have a variety of meanings, which are also expected to depend at least partially on the context in which such terms are used. Generally, when “or” is used to relate 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, as used herein, the term “one or more” may be used to describe any singular feature, structure, or property, or any combination of features, structures, or properties. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example, and the claimed subject is not limited to this example. Furthermore, when the term “at least one of” is used to relate a list such as A, B, or C, it may be interpreted to mean any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, AABBCCC, etc.

[0117]

[0126] While several embodiments have been described, various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, the elements described above may be merely components of a larger system, and other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the applications of the various embodiments. Also, several steps may be taken before, during, or after the consideration of the elements described above. Therefore, the above description does not limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0118]

[0127] In light of this description, embodiments may include combinations of different features. Examples of implementations are described in the following numbered sections.

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

[0120] Clause 2. The method in Clause 1, wherein determining that the first or second trigger condition has been met is at least partially based on the location uncertainty of the mobile device exceeding the location uncertainty threshold, the wireless signal quality metric being below the signal quality threshold, or the periodicity of non-sensor-based location determination for the mobile device being below the threshold periodicity, or a combination thereof.

[0121] Clause 3. The method of Clause 2 for obtaining a mobile device location determination that indicates the uncertainty of the mobile device's location.

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

[0123] Clause 5. The method described in any of Clauses 1 to 4, wherein a message is transmitted via Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE), Downlink Control Information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

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

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

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

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

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

[0129] Clause 11. Determining that the first or second trigger condition has been met is based at least in part on the battery power level of the mobile device, the wireless signal quality metric being below a signal quality threshold, or the sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors on the mobile device being below a sensor accuracy threshold, or a combination thereof, as described in any of Clauses 7 to 10.

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

[0131] Clause 13. The method described in Clause 12, wherein a configuration message is received via Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE), Downlink Control Information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

[0132] Clause 14. A location server enabling the activation or deactivation of sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, the location server comprising a transceiver, memory, and one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the transceiver and memory, wherein one or more processing units are configured to determine, during a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition has been met with respect to reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device, and thereby send a message to the mobile device via the transceiver comprising either a command to activate reporting in response to the determination that the first trigger condition has been met, or a command to deactivate reporting in response to the determination that the second trigger condition has been met.

[0133] Clause 15. A location server as described in Clause 14, configured to determine that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is met based at least partially on the location uncertainty of a mobile device exceeding a location uncertainty threshold, a wireless signal quality metric being below a signal quality threshold, or the periodicity of non-sensor-based location determination for a mobile device being below a threshold periodicity, or a combination thereof.

[0134] Clause 16. The location server described in Clause 15, further configured to obtain a mobile device location determination indicating the location uncertainty of the mobile device, comprising one or more processing units.

[0135] Clause 17. A location server according to any one of Clauses 14 to 16, further configured to receive an accuracy indication of sensor data from one or more sensors of a mobile device, determine an error in the sensor data at least in part based on the accuracy indication of the sensor data, and determine that a second trigger condition has been met at least in part based on the determination of an error in the sensor data.

[0136] Clause 18. A location server as described in any of Clauses 14 to 17, 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, with one or more processing units.

[0137] Clause 19. A location server as described in any of Clauses 14 to 18, further configured to send messages such that one or more processing units send messages indicating which of one or more sensors of a mobile device should be activated in response to a determination that a first trigger condition has been met, or messages further indicate which of one or more sensors of a mobile device should be deactivated in response to a determination that a second trigger condition has been met.

[0138] Clause 20. A mobile device that enables the activation or deactivation of sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, the mobile device comprising a wireless transceiver, memory, and one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and memory, wherein one or more processing units are configured to determine that, during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition has been 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, wherein the reporting message either includes sensor data from one or more sensors in response to the determination that the first trigger condition has been met, or omits sensor data from one or more sensors in response to the determination that the second trigger condition has been met.

[0139] Clause 21. A mobile device as described in Clause 20, wherein one or more processing units are configured to send a request message to a location server via a wireless transceiver prior to sending a report message, wherein the request message includes a request to either activate the report in response to determining that a first trigger condition has been met, or deactivate the report in response to determining that a second trigger condition has been met, and wherein one or more processing units are configured to send a report message at least in part based on receiving the acknowledgment.

[0140] Clause 22. A mobile device as described in Clause 21, wherein one or more processing units are configured to send requests via a physical uplink sharing channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), uplink control information (UCI), or a combination thereof.

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

[0142] Clause 24. A mobile device as described in any of Clauses 20 to 23, wherein one or more processing units are configured to determine that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition has been met, at least partially based on the mobile device's battery power level, 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 being below a sensor accuracy threshold, or a combination thereof.

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

[0144] Clause 26. A mobile device as described in Clause 25, wherein one or more processing units are configured to receive configuration messages via Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE), Downlink Control Information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

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

[0146] Clause 28. The means for determining that a first or second trigger condition has been met is configured to cause the determination to be at least partially based on the location uncertainty of the mobile device being greater than a location uncertainty threshold, the wireless signal quality metric being less than a signal quality threshold, or the periodicity of non-sensor-based location determination for the mobile device being less than a threshold periodicity, or a combination thereof, as described in Clause 27.

[0147] Clause 29. The device described in Clause 28, further comprising means for obtaining a location determination of a mobile device that indicates location uncertainty of the mobile device.

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

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

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

[0151] Clause 33. A sensor activation or deactivation device for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, the device comprising: means for determining that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition has been 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; wherein the first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating reporting, and the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating reporting; wherein the reporting message either includes sensor data from one or more sensors in response to determining that the first trigger condition has been met, or omits sensor data from one or more sensors in response to determining that the second trigger condition has been met.

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

[0153] Clause 35. The device described in Clause 34, wherein the means for sending requests comprises means for sending requests via a physical uplink sharing channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), uplink control information (UCI), or a combination thereof.

[0154] Clause 36. A device according to any one of Clauses 33 to 35, wherein the means for sending a request includes, in the request, an instruction on which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated in a request to activate reporting, or an instruction on which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated in a request to deactivate reporting.

[0155] Clause 37. A device according to any one of Clauses 33 to 36, wherein the means for determining that a first or second trigger condition has been met includes means for causing the determination to be at least partially based on the battery power level of the mobile device, the wireless signal quality metric being below a signal quality threshold, or the sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors of the mobile device being below a sensor accuracy threshold, or a combination thereof.

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

[0157] Clause 39. The device described in Clause 38, further comprising means for receiving configuration messages via Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE), Downlink Control Information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

[0158] Clause 40. A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing commands for activating or deactivating sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, wherein the commands include code for determining that, during a positioning session between the mobile device and a location server, a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition has been met with respect to reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by 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 the location server sends a message to the mobile device in response to the determination that the first trigger condition has been met, which is a command to activate reporting, or in response to the determination that the second trigger condition has been met, which is a command to deactivate reporting.

[0159] Clause 41. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in Clause 40, comprising a code for determining that a first or second trigger condition has been met, wherein the code causes the determination to be based at least in part on the location uncertainty of a mobile device being greater than a location uncertainty threshold, a wireless signal quality metric being less than a signal quality threshold, or the periodicity of a non-sensor-based location determination for a mobile device being less than a threshold periodicity, or a combination thereof.

[0160] Clause 42. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in Clause 41, further comprising code for obtaining a location determination of a mobile device that indicates location uncertainty of the mobile device.

[0161] Clause 43. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any of Clauses 40 to 42, further comprising code for the location server to receive an instruction regarding the accuracy of sensor data of one or more sensors of a mobile device, for the location server to determine an error in the sensor data at least in part based on the instruction regarding the accuracy of the sensor data, and for the location server to determine that a second trigger condition has been met at least in part based on the determination of an error in the sensor data.

[0162] Clause 44. Non-transient computer-readable media as described in any of Clauses 40 to 43, in which the code for sending a message includes the code for sending a message via Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE), Downlink Control Information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

[0163] Clause 45. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any of Clauses 40 to 44, in which the code for sending a message includes, in the message, a code for including instructions on which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated in response to determining that a first trigger condition has been met, or a code for including instructions on which of one or more sensors of the mobile device should be deactivated in response to determining that a second trigger condition has been met.

[0164] Clause 46. Non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing commands for activating or deactivating sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, the command comprising code for determining that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition has been met with respect to reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device during a positioning session between the mobile device and the 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, wherein the reporting message either includes sensor data from one or more sensors in response to the determination that the first trigger condition has been met, or omits sensor data from one or more sensors in response to the determination that the second trigger condition has been met.

[0165] Clause 47. The instruction further comprises code for sending a request message from a mobile device to a location server prior to sending a report message, wherein the request message comprises a request to either activate the report in response to determining that a first trigger condition has been met, or deactivate the report in response to determining that a second trigger condition has been met, wherein sending the report message is at least in part based on receiving the acknowledgment, in a non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in Clause 46.

[0166] Clause 48. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in Clause 47, wherein the code for sending a request comprises a code for sending a request via a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink controlled channel (PUCCH), uplink control information (UCI), or a combination thereof.

[0167] Clause 49. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any of Clauses 46 to 48, comprising code for sending requests to include instructions on which of one or more sensors of a mobile device should be activated in a request to activate a report, or instructions on which of one or more sensors of a mobile device should be deactivated in a request to deactivate a report.

[0168] Clause 50. A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in any of Clauses 46 to 49, comprising a code for determining that a first or second trigger condition has been met, which causes the determination to be based at least in part on the battery power level of the mobile device, the wireless signal quality metric being below a signal quality threshold, or the sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors of the mobile device being below a sensor accuracy threshold, or a combination thereof.

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

[0170] Clause 52. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in Clause 51, wherein the code for receiving configuration messages comprises a code for receiving configuration messages via Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE), Downlink Control Information (DCI), or a combination thereof. The invention described in the original claims of this application is listed below. [C1] A method for activating or deactivating a sensor for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, wherein the method is: During a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, the location server determines that a first or second trigger condition has been met regarding the reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by 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. From the location server to the mobile device, In response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, an instruction to activate the report, or An order to deactivate the report in response to determining that the second trigger condition has been met. Sending a message that includes either of the following: A method that includes [a certain feature]. [C2] Determining that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition has been met means that the location uncertainty of the mobile device exceeds the location uncertainty threshold. The wireless signal quality metric is lower than the signal quality threshold, or The periodicity of non-sensor-based location determination for the said mobile device is lower than the threshold periodicity, or those combinations The method of C1, at least in part, based on the method of C1. [C3] The method of C2, further comprising obtaining a location determination of the mobile device that indicates the location uncertainty of the mobile device. [C4] The location server receives instructions regarding the accuracy of the sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device. The location server determines errors in the sensor data at least partially based on the indication of the accuracy of the sensor data, Determining that the second trigger condition has been met is at least partially based on determining the error in the sensor data. A method of C1 that further includes the following: [C5] The aforementioned message, Wireless Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE), Downlink control information (DCI), or those combinations The method described in C1, which is sent via [a specific method]. [C6] 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 has been 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 has been met. The method described in C1. [C7] A method for activating or deactivating a sensor for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, wherein the method is: During a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, the mobile device determines that a first or second trigger condition has been met regarding the reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device, and hereby, The first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the report, and the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating the report. Sending a report message from the mobile device to the location server, wherein the report message is: In response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, sensor data from one or more sensors, or In response to determining that the second trigger condition is met, the sensor data from one or more sensors is omitted. It is one of the following: A method that includes [a certain feature]. [C8] Before sending the aforementioned report message, Sending a request message from the mobile device to the location server, wherein the request message is: In response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, the report is activated, or In response to determining that the second trigger condition is met, deactivate the report. A request to do one of the following: The mobile device receives an acknowledgment from the location server. Furthermore, Herein, sending the report message is at least in part based on receiving the acknowledgment, Method C7. [C9] The aforementioned request message, Physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), Physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), Uplink control information (UCI), or those combinations The method described in C8, which is sent via [a specific method]. [C10] The request to activate the report indicates which of the one or more sensors on the mobile device should be activated, or The request to deactivate the aforementioned report indicates which of the one or more sensors on the mobile device should be deactivated. The method described in C8, which is one of the following. [C11] Determining that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition has been met means that the battery power level of the mobile device, The wireless signal quality metric is lower than the signal quality threshold, or The sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors in the mobile device falls below the sensor accuracy threshold, or those combinations The method of C7, at least in part, based on the method of C7. [C12] The method according to C11, 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. [C13] The aforementioned configuration message, Wireless Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE), Downlink control information (DCI), or those combinations A method of C12 received via [C14] A location server that enables the activation or deactivation of sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, wherein the location server At least one transceiver, Memory and The at least one transceiver and one or more processing units that are communicatively coupled to the memory. The system includes, and the one or more processing units are During a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, it is determined that a first or second trigger condition has been met regarding the reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device, and hereby, The first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the report, and the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating the report. The mobile device is transmitted via at least one of the transceivers. In response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, an instruction to activate the report, or An order to deactivate the report in response to determining that the second trigger condition has been met. Sending a message that includes either of the following: A location server configured to perform the following actions. [C15] The one or more processing units described above are: The location uncertainty of the aforementioned mobile device exceeds the location uncertainty threshold. The wireless signal quality metric is lower than the signal quality threshold, or The periodicity of non-sensor-based location determination for the said mobile device is lower than the threshold periodicity, or those combinations The location server according to C14, configured to determine that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition has been met, at least in part, based on the above. [C16] The location server according to C15, wherein one or more processing units are further configured to obtain a location determination of the mobile device indicating the location uncertainty of the mobile device. [C17] The one or more processing units described above are: The mobile device receives an instruction regarding the accuracy of the sensor data from one or more sensors, Determining errors in the sensor data based at least in part on the aforementioned indication of the accuracy of the sensor data, Determining that the second trigger condition has been met is at least partially based on determining the error in the sensor data. A location server as described in C14, further configured to perform the following actions. [C18] The one or more processing units described above Wireless Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE), Downlink control information (DCI), or those combinations A location server as described in C14, further configured to send the aforementioned message via [a specific method / platform]. [C19] The one or more processing units described above are: 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 has been met, or The message further indicates which of the one or more sensors on the mobile device should be deactivated in response to determining that the second trigger condition has been met. A location server as described in C14, further configured to send the aforementioned message. [C20] A mobile device that enables the activation or deactivation of sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, wherein the mobile device At least one transceiver, Memory and The at least one transceiver and one or more processing units that are communicatively coupled to the memory. The system includes, and the one or more processing units are During a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, it is determined that a first or second trigger condition has been met regarding the reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device, and hereby, The first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the report, and the second trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for deactivating the report. Sending a report message to the location server via the wireless transceiver, and in this case, the report message is In response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, sensor data from one or more sensors, or In response to determining that the second trigger condition is met, the sensor data from one or more sensors is omitted. It is one of the following: A mobile device configured to perform the following actions. [C21] The one or more processing units, prior to sending the report message, Sending a request message to the location server via the at least one transceiver, wherein the request message is In response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, the report is activated, or In response to determining that the second trigger condition is met, deactivate the report. A request to do one of the following: To receive an acknowledgment from the location server via the aforementioned wireless transceiver. It is configured to do the following: Herein, one or more processing units are configured to send the report message, at least in part, based on receiving the acknowledgment. Mobile devices as listed in C20. [C22] The one or more processing units described above Physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), Physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), Uplink control information (UCI), or those combinations A mobile device according to C21, configured to send the request message via [a specific method]. [C23] The one or more processing units described above The request message for activating the report indicates which of the one or more sensors of the mobile device should be activated, or The request message for deactivating the aforementioned report indicates which of the one or more sensors on the mobile device should be deactivated. A mobile device as described in C21, configured to perform one of the following actions. [C24] The one or more processing units described above are: The battery power level of the aforementioned mobile device, The wireless signal quality metric is lower than the signal quality threshold, or The sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors in the mobile device falls below the sensor accuracy threshold, or those combinations The mobile device according to C20, configured to determine that the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition has been met, at least in part, based on the above. [C25] The mobile device according to C24, wherein one or more processing units are configured to receive the signal quality threshold, the sensor accuracy threshold, or both, via the wireless transceiver in a configuration message from the location server. [C26] The one or more processing units described above Wireless Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE), Downlink control information (DCI), or those combinations A mobile device as described in C25, configured to receive the aforementioned configuration message via [a specific method / platform].

Claims

1. A method for activating or deactivating a sensor for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, wherein the method is: During a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, the location server determines that a first or second trigger condition has been met regarding the reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device, and hereby, The first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the report, The second trigger condition includes a trigger condition for deactivating the report. From the location server to the mobile device, In response to determining that the first trigger condition has been met, an instruction to activate the reporting of sensor data, or An instruction to deactivate the reporting of sensor data in response to the determination that the second trigger condition has been met. Sending a message that includes either of the following: Equipped with, (i) Determining that the first trigger condition has been met means that The location uncertainty of the aforementioned mobile device exceeds the location uncertainty threshold. The wireless signal quality metric is lower than the signal quality threshold, or The periodicity of non-sensor-based location determination for the said mobile device is lower than the threshold periodicity, or those combinations Based at least partially on, (ii) Determining that the second trigger condition has been met means that The location uncertainty of the mobile device is lower than the location uncertainty threshold. The wireless signal quality metric exceeds the signal quality threshold, or The periodicity of non-sensor-based location determination for the mobile device exceeds a threshold periodicity, or those combinations A method based at least partially on the above.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising obtaining a location determination of the mobile device that indicates the location uncertainty of the mobile device.

3. The location server receives instructions regarding the accuracy of the sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device. The location server determines errors in the sensor data at least partially based on the indication of the accuracy of the sensor data, Determining that the second trigger condition has been met is at least partially based on determining the error in the sensor data. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

4. The aforementioned message, Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control – Control Element (MAC-CE), or Downlink Control Information (DCI) The method according to claim 1, which is transmitted via

5. 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 has been 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 has been met. The method according to claim 1.

6. A method for activating or deactivating a sensor for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, wherein the method is: During a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, the mobile device determines that a first or second trigger condition has been met regarding the reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device, and hereby, The first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the report, The second trigger condition includes a trigger condition for deactivating the report. Sending a report message from the mobile device to the location server, wherein the report message is: In response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, sensor data from one or more sensors, or In response to determining that the second trigger condition is met, sensor data from one or more sensors is omitted. It is one of the following: Equipped with, (i) Determining that the first trigger condition has been met means that The battery power level of the aforementioned mobile device exceeds a threshold. The wireless signal quality metric is lower than the signal quality threshold, or The sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors in the mobile device exceeds the sensor accuracy threshold, or those combinations Based at least partially on, (ii) Determining that the second trigger condition has been met means that The battery power level of the aforementioned mobile device falls below a threshold. The wireless signal quality metric exceeds the signal quality threshold, or The sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors in the mobile device falls below the sensor accuracy threshold, or those combinations A method based at least partially on the above.

7. Before sending the aforementioned report message, Sending a message from the mobile device to the location server, and in this case, the message is In response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, the report is activated, or In response to determining that the second trigger condition is met, deactivate the report. A message to perform one of the following actions: The mobile device receives an acknowledgment from the location server. Furthermore, Herein, sending the report message is at least in part based on receiving the acknowledgment, The method according to claim 6.

8. The aforementioned message, Physical uplink shared channel (PUCH), Physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or Uplink Control Information (UCI) The method according to claim 7, which is transmitted via

9. The message for activating the report indicates which of the one or more sensors on the mobile device should be activated, or The message for deactivating the report indicates which of the one or more sensors on the mobile device should be deactivated. The method according to claim 7, wherein it is any of the following.

10. The method according to 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 aforementioned configuration message, Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control – Control Element (MAC-CE), or Downlink Control Information (DCI) The method according to claim 10, which is received via

12. A location server that enables the activation or deactivation of sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, wherein the location server At least one transceiver, Memory and The at least one transceiver and one or more processing units that are communicatively coupled to the memory. The system includes, and the one or more processing units are During a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, it is determined that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition has been met regarding the reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device, and hereby, The first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the report, The second trigger condition includes a trigger condition for deactivating the report. The mobile device is transmitted via at least one of the transceivers. In response to determining that the first trigger condition has been met, an instruction to activate the reporting of sensor data, or An instruction to deactivate the reporting of sensor data in response to the determination that the second trigger condition has been met. Sending a message that includes either of the following: It is configured to do the following: (i) Determining that the first trigger condition has been met means that The location uncertainty of the aforementioned mobile device exceeds the location uncertainty threshold. The wireless signal quality metric is lower than the signal quality threshold, or The periodicity of non-sensor-based location determination for the said mobile device is lower than the threshold periodicity, or those combinations Based at least partially on, (ii) Determining that the second trigger condition has been met means that The location uncertainty of the aforementioned mobile device falls below the location uncertainty threshold. The wireless signal quality metric exceeds the signal quality threshold, or The periodicity of non-sensor-based location determination for the mobile device exceeds a threshold periodicity, or those combinations A location server based at least partially on [the following].

13. The location server according to claim 12, wherein one or more processing units are configured to carry out the method described in any one of claims 2 to 5.

14. A mobile device that enables the activation or deactivation of sensors for positioning a mobile device in a wireless communication network, wherein the mobile device At least one transceiver, Memory and The at least one transceiver and one or more processing units that are communicatively coupled to the memory. The system includes, and the one or more processing units are During a positioning session between the mobile device and the location server, it is determined that a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition has been met regarding the reporting of sensor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device to the location server by the mobile device, and hereby, The first trigger condition comprises a trigger condition for activating the report, The second trigger condition includes a trigger condition for deactivating the report. Sending a report message to the location server via the wireless transceiver, and in this case, the report message is In response to determining that the first trigger condition is met, sensor data from one or more sensors, or In response to determining that the second trigger condition is met, sensor data from one or more sensors is omitted. It is one of the following: It is configured to do the following: (i) Determining that the first trigger condition has been met means that The battery power level of the aforementioned mobile device exceeds a threshold. The wireless signal quality metric is lower than the signal quality threshold, or The sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors in the mobile device exceeds the sensor accuracy threshold, or those combinations Based at least partially on, (ii) Determining that the second trigger condition has been met means that The battery power level of the aforementioned mobile device falls below a threshold. The wireless signal quality metric exceeds the signal quality threshold, or The sensor accuracy metric of one or more sensors in the mobile device falls below the sensor accuracy threshold, or those combinations Mobile devices, based at least partially on [the following].

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

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