Rat-controlled GNSS operations

Abstract

A user device may be configured to receive, from a network device, control configuration determined by the network device for at least radio access technology, RAT, independent positioning to save power of the user device. The control configuration may be received at least one of in response to a request from the user device or based on validation of one or more conditions performed by the network device. Based on the received control configurations, the user device performs operations of at least the RAT-independent positioning. Devices, methods and computer programs are disclosed.

Description

RAT-CONTROLLED GNSS OPERATIONSTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Various example embodiments generally relate to the field of wireless communication. Some example embodiments relate to radio access technology (RAT) controlled operations of RAT-independent positioning, such as global navigation satellite system (GNSS) operations.BACKGROUND

[0002] Power management is an important aspect to be considered in wireless networks. For example in 6G, low power wide area (LPWA) networks target supporting massive deployments of LPWA devices such as Internet of things (loT) devices. loT devices may be characterized by low device complexity, low power consumption enabling long battery life (e.g., more than 10 years), and enhanced coverage compared to broadband services. The LPWA and loT devices may use one or more methods for localization services. However, the localization methods may considerably increase power consumption. It would be beneficial to avoid unnecessary power consumption of user devices of the wireless networks, and more specifically, to maintain sufficient localization of the user devices, such as the LPWA devices, without compromising the long battery life.SUMMARY

[0003] Example implementations of the present disclosure are directed to wireless communication and, in particular, to radio access technology (RAT) controlled operations of RAT-independent positioning, such as global navigation satellite system (GNSS) operations. According to some aspects, the present disclosure includes the subject matter of the independent claims. Some further aspects are defined in the dependent claims.

[0004] Example embodiments of the present disclosure can provide apparatuses, methods, computer programs, computer program products, or computer readable media for improving various aspects of localization measurement operations performed by user devices. Any example embodiment may be combined with one or more other example embodiments. These and other aspects of the present disclosure will be apparent from the example embodiment(s) described below.DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the example embodiments and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate example embodiments and, together with the description, help to explain the example embodiments. In the drawings:

[0006] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communication network.

[0007] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an apparatus configured to practice one or more example embodiments.

[0008] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of signalling and operations for RAT-controlled RAT-independent positioning in LPWA according to an example embodiment.

[0009] FIGs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 illustrate examples of methods for controlling RAT-independent positioning operations of a user device.

[0010] Like references are used to designate like parts in the accompanying drawings.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Reference will now be made in detail to example embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The detailed description provided below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the present examples and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present example may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions of the example and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the example. However, the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different examples.

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communication network. The communication network 100 may comprise one or more access nodes 104, 106. Access node(s) 104, 106 may be part of a radio access network (RAN) configured to enable a device, represented throughout the description by UE 102, to access communication services provided by core network 108. In connection with the communication network 100, the access node(s) 104, 106 and the core network 108 may be collectively referred to as the ‘network’ or network nodes. The UE 102 may comprise a user device, a terminal apparatus, a terminal device, a mobile device, an loT device or the like. The UE 102 may be configured to communicate with the access node(s) 104, 106 over a radio interface, which may be also referred to as an air interface. The access nodes 104, 106 may be also referred to as network devices. A terminal device may comprise a device to which a connection from a communication network is terminated.

[0013] The radio interface may be configured for example based on the 5G NR (New Radio) standard defined by the 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP), or any future standard or technology (e.g., 6G). The access nodes 104, 106 may comprise, for example, 5thgeneration access nodes (gNB) or 6thgeneration access nodes. Access node(s) 104, 106 may be configured to communicate with UEs via one or more cells 108, 110. A cell may be configured to serve UEs at a certain geographical area at a certain radio frequency, or a range of radio frequencies around a centre frequency of the cell. Transmission by an access node to UE 102 may be called downlink (DL) transmission. Transmission by UE 102 to an access node may be called uplink (UL) transmission. UE 102 may be therefore configured to operate as a transmitter for uplink transmissions and as a receiver for downlink transmissions. Access node(s) 104, 106 may be configured to operate as a receiver for uplink transmissions and as a transmitter for downlink transmissions. The communication network 100 may comprise a wireless communication network or a mobile communication network, such as for example a cellular communication network.

[0014] In one example, the communication network may comprise a LPWA network, and the UE 102 may be referred to as a LPWA device. LPWA refers to a network designed to communicate wirelessly with lower power than other networks such as cellular, satellite, or WiFi networks typically do. Further, LPWA networks may communicate over greater distances than other low power networks that are based on, e.g., Bluetooth or near-field communication (NFC). LPWA networks may be used to connect low-energy devices, such as loT devices, sensors, and meters to each other and the internet.

[0015] The core network 108 may be implemented with various network functions (NF), including, for example, one or more user plane functions (UPF) and one or more access and mobility management functions (AMF). A UPF may be configured to handle user data part of a communication session. A UPF may thus provide an interconnect point between the radio access network and a data network configured to provide application services to UE 102 via core network 108 and the radio access network. An AMF may be configured to receive connection and session request related data from UE 102 (e.g., via an access node). An AMF may be configured to control connection and mobility management in communication network 100.

[0016] The core network 108 may further comprise a location management function (LMF), which is responsible for managing and providing location information for mobile devices within the network. The LMF may receive measurements and assistance information from theaccess nodes 104, 106 and the UE 102 to compute the position of the UE 102. The measurements and assistance information may be received via the AMF over NLs interface. LMF may track, or assist in tracking, the location of mobile devices and support for locationbased services, such as navigation, geofencing, proximity-based services, and emergency services, among others. The UE 102 may be configured to support both RAT-dependent and RAT-independent positioning methods.

[0017] RAT-dependent positioning methods refer to positioning techniques that rely on RAT for determining the location of a device. RAT-dependent positioning methods may be based on, for example, Cell-ID (cell identity), E-CID (enhanced Cell-ID), signal strength, TOA (time of arrival), TDOA (time difference of arrival), AOA (angle of arrival), or a combination thereof. With Cell-ID, a location of UE may be estimated based on a cell tower (e.g., gNB) the UE is connected to, wherein the location of the cell tower is known. E-CID positioning refers to techniques which use UE and / or NG-RAN radio resource related measurements to improve the UE location estimate. With signal strength, the signal from various access points is measured, and an approximate location of UE can be estimated using triangulation or trilateration techniques. With TOA / TDOA, the time it takes for a signal to travel from UE to multiple access nodes is measured. The position of the UE can be then computed using the difference in arrival times. With AOA, the position of UE is estimated based on the direction of arrival of signals from the UE at multiple access nodes. For RAT-based positioning, positioning measurements may be obtained using one or more reference signals. The reference signals may comprise at least one of positioning reference signal (PRS) in the downlink or sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning in the uplink.

[0018] RAT-independent positioning methods refer to positioning techniques that are independent of the radio access technologies. The RAT-independent positioning may refer to at least one of positioning measurements, sensing measurements, synchronization operations, or location estimation performed by at least one of a GNSS receiver or one or more sensors. The RAT-independent positioning methods may be based on, for example, measurements performed by utilizing GNSS signals, Bluetooth, barometric pressure sensors, Wi-Fi signals or inertial sensors. The UE 102 may be also configured to leverage hybrid positioning methods, wherein more than one RAN-dependent and / or RAN-independent positioning methods are used at the same time.

[0019] For localization services, UEs may rely on GNSS methods when RAT-dependent method fails to estimate the UE location with a reasonable accuracy that meets target requirements. The UE 102 may comprise an LPWA device with an integrated GNSS receiver.From a cost perspective, integrating a GNSS module may not substantially increase the cost of an LPWA device. A GNSS module may be integrated in a UE on a stand-alone basis. Alternatively, a single RF (radio frequency) front end can be shared between a GNSS receiver and a RAT receiver. The stand-alone solution is more costly compared to the use of a single RF front end but allows simultaneous GNSS and RAT-based operations at the UE 102. A GNSS module may comprise at least the GNSS receiver, or GNSS antenna, and optionally other components related to GNSS signal processing.

[0020] GNSS-based positioning offers a good positioning accuracy especially for outdoor deployments, where the UE 102 have a higher probability of LOS (line-of-sight) connections with satellites. Additionally, compared to RAT-dependent positioning, GNSS may operate better in rural areas. The rural areas may have large cells, and hence, it may be difficult to receive signals from multiple gNBs. Receiving signals from multiple gNBs is a requirement in RAT-based positioning to ensure a decent positioning measurement accuracy that is sufficient to estimate the location with a reasonable accuracy. In general, when signals are received from multiple gNBs for positioning, fewer measurement errors may occur.

[0021] Taking into account that agriculture and remote sensing are important loT use cases, it is important to ensure smooth integration of GNSS receiver into (6G) LPWA devices as current RAT-dependent positioning methods may fail to meet the target positioning requirements for several LPWA use cases. However, GNSS receivers, in contrast to LPWA devices or LPWA modules therein, are in general built without taking low energy consumption aspects into consideration and GNSS operations are computationally expensive and energy demanding. Therefore, use of the GNSS operations may cause problems from a power saving perspective to UEs with LPWA modules that target a long battery lifetime that spans over several years. Using a GNSS may increase the power consumption levels of an loT device 2-4 times compared to when GNSS is not used. This does not only consider scenarios in which the GNSS receiver relies solely on its continuous signaling with the satellites to estimate the location of the UE, but also scenarios in which the GNSS receiver relies on receiving assistance data from other external sources (e.g., terrestrial network) to minimize the energy consumption while estimating the location of the UE.

[0022] In other words, even when assistance information is provided by the external sources to save energy, the UE power consumption can be increased by at least the double compared with the case where a GNSS receiver is not integrated at all. One approach would be to use cloud-based GNSS receiver, in which the UE may only obtain snapshots (e.g., sample short portions) of the satellite signals and send the snapshots to a cloud server for analysis. Thiswould enable to offload the computationally intense and power-consuming tasks to the cloud server which reduces the power consumption at the UE. However, this approach comes with the expense of increasing the connectivity requirements for the UE, e.g., in terms of network uplink, downlink data rates and wake-up times. Therefore, most of the energy-saving benefits from using the cloud-based approach would be rescinded.

[0023] Further, integration of the GNSS receivers in LPWA UEs may be inevitable because LPWA UEs may not fully rely on RAT-dependent techniques for localization services. This is because deep coverage (e.g., up to 20-25 dB enhanced coverage) support is one of the design features of LPWA deployments. For example, it may be difficult for the UE to receive and / or transmit positioning reference signals from / to a sufficient amount of neighbor gNBs with sufficient signal power levels that are enough to obtain the positioning measurements with a reasonable accuracy.

[0024] An example embodiment enables integrating the GNSS receiver into a LPWA device, or any user device, while keeping the energy consumption at target levels. In an embodiment, a UE may be configured to request the network for an approval to turn off the GNSS receiver of the UE, and hence, to decrease power consumption of the UE. The network, e.g., a network device configured to operate as gNB or LMF, may be configured to determine if the request can be approved based on certain criteria and then respond to the request received from the UE based on the determination. The response may comprise control configuration for at least the GNSS receiver. The control configuration may further provide instructions for measurement operations performed with one or more RAT-dependent positioning methods. Hence, the UE may adjust when it performs the RAT-dependent positioning to align with the deactivation and / or activation of the GNSS receiver. In addition to GNSS receiver, the control configuration may be applicable to any RAT-independent positioning method used by the UE.

[0025] Alternatively, the network may be configured to provide the UE with the control configuration on positioning measurements performed with at least one of the RAT-independent or RAT-dependent positioning methods without a request from the UE, for example, based on a determination that one or more conditions for applying the control configuration are met for the UE.

[0026] Communication network 100 may comprise other network function(s), network device(s), or user device(s) in addition, or alternative to, those illustrated in FIG. 1. A network device may be configured to implement functionality of one or more network functions. Even though some embodiments have been described in the context of 5G, it is appreciated thatembodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this example network. Example embodiments may be therefore applied in any present or future communication networks.

[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an apparatus configured to practice one or more example embodiments. Apparatus 200 may comprise a device such as UE 102, or an access node 104, 106, an access point, a base station, a network node, or a split portion thereof (e.g., a central or distributed unit of an access node), a network device, a terminal device, an loT device or in general any apparatus configured to implement functionality described herein.

[0028] The apparatus 200 may comprise at least one processor 202. The at least one processor 202 may comprise, for example, one or more of various processing devices, such as for example a co-processor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processing circuitry with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing devices including integrated circuits such as, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a hardware accelerator, a special-purpose computer chip, or the like.

[0029] The apparatus 200 may further comprise at least one memory 204. The at least one memory 204 may be configured to store, for example, computer program code or the like, for example operating system software and application software. Memory 204 may comprise one or more volatile memory devices, one or more non-volatile memory devices, and / or a combination thereof. For example, the memory may be embodied as magnetic storage devices (such as hard disk drives, magnetic tapes, etc.), optical magnetic storage devices, or semiconductor memories (such as mask ROM, PROM (programmable ROM), EPROM (erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory), etc.). Memory 204 is provided as an example of a (non-transitory) computer readable medium. The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0030] The apparatus 200 may further comprise a communication interface 208 configured to enable the apparatus 200 to transmit and / or receive information. The communication interface 208 may comprise an external communication interface, such as for example a radio interface between UE 102 and access node(s) 104, 106, or a communication interface between a central unit and distributed unit(s) of an access node (e.g., an Fs-U and / or Fs-C interface). The communication interface 208 may comprise one or more radio transmitters or receivers, which may be coupled to one or more antennas of apparatus 200, or be configured to be coupled to one or more antennas external to apparatus 200.

[0031] The apparatus 200 may comprise one or more RAT-independent positioning modules 210. The one or more RAT-independent positioning modules 210 may comprise, for example, a GNSS receiver. In one example, the GNSS receiver may be integrated in the apparatus 200 on a stand-alone basis. Alternatively, a single RF front end can be shared between the GNSS receiver and a RAT receiver, such as antenna(s) of the communication interface 208. The one or more RAT-independent positioning modules 210 may further comprise one or more sensors. The one or more sensors may comprise, for example, at least one of a barometric pressure sensor, a motion sensor or a positioning sensor.

[0032] The apparatus 200 may further comprise other components and / or functions such as a user interface (not shown) comprising at least one input device and / or at least one output device. The input device may take various forms such a keyboard, a touch screen, or one or more embedded control buttons. The output device may for example comprise a display, a speaker, or the like.

[0033] When the apparatus 200 is configured to implement some functionality, some component and / or components of the apparatus 200, such as for example the at least one processor 202 and / or the at least one memory 204, may be configured to implement this functionality. Furthermore, when the at least one processor 202 is configured to implement some functionality, this functionality may be implemented using program code 206 comprised, for example, in the at least one memory 204.

[0034] The functionality described herein may be performed, at least in part, by one or more computer program product components such as software components. According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 200 comprises a processor or processor circuitry, such as for example a microcontroller, configured by the program code 206, when executed, to execute the embodiments of the operations and functionality described herein. Program code 206 is provided as an example of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor 202, cause performance of the apparatus 200.

[0035] Alternatively, or in addition, the functionality described herein can be performed, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components. For example, and without limitation, illustrative types of hardware logic components that can be used include field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application- specific standard products (ASSPs), system-on-a-chip systems (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), graphics processing units (GPUs), or the like.

[0036] The apparatus 200 may be configured to perform, or cause performance of, method(s) described herein or comprise means for performing method(s) described herein. Inone example, the means comprises the at least one processor 202, the at least one memory 204 including instructions (e.g., program code 206) configured to, when executed by the at least one processor 202, cause the apparatus 200 to perform the method(s). In general, computer program instructions may be executed on means providing generic processing functions. Such means may be embedded for example in a personal computer, an loT device, a smart phone, a network device, or the like. The method(s) may be thus computer-implemented, for example, based on algorithm(s) executable by the generic processing functions, an example of which is the at least one processor 202. The means may comprise transmission or reception means, for example one or more radio transmitters or receivers, which may be coupled or be configured to be coupled to one or more antennas. The apparatus 200 may comprise, for example, a network device, for example, an access node, an access point, a base station, or a central / distributed unit thereof. Although the apparatus 200 is illustrated as a single device, it is appreciated that, wherever applicable, functions of the apparatus 200 may be distributed to a plurality of devices.

[0037] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of signalling for RAT-controlled RAT-independent positioning in LPWA according to an example embodiment. The signalling may be performed between a user device, such as UE 102, and one or more network devices, such as gNB 300 and / or LMF 302.

[0038] Although the signalling and operations of FIG. 3 are depicted for control of GNSS operations, the described signalling and operations are also applicable for control of other RAT-independent positioning operations, such as deactivation or activation of one or more positioning sensors of the user device in addition or alternative to the deactivation or activation of a GNSS module of the user device.

[0039] The procedure for RAT-controlled RAT-independent positioning can be initiated by the EMF 302. For example, at operation 304, when the LMF 302 may be configured to initiate a positioning session to determine a location of the UE 10, the positioning session can be initiated using a power conservative method. For example, the LMF 302 may provide at least one of the UE 102 or gNB 300 with positioning assistance information to request for positioning measurements. The power conservative method may be, for example, E-CID positioning method which uses the measurements available to the UE 102 and does not require additional measurements for positioning purposes.

[0040] Alternatively, the procedure may be initiated by the UE 102, at operation 306. The UE 102 may request control configuration from the network, such as the LMF 302, for at leastRAT-independent positioning to save power of the UE 102. In the request, the UE 102 may explicitly or implicitly ask for a permission to turn off the GNSS receiver of the UE 102.

[0041] For example, the UE 102 may request to deactivate the GNSS receiver. The GNSS receiver may be requested to be deactivated within a certain allowable time window. The UE 102 may also request for deactivation of one or more other RAT-independent positioning modules, such as sensors used for positioning. In addition, or alternatively, the UE 102 may request to deactivate reporting of positioning measurements related to RAT-independent positioning.

[0042] In an example embodiment, the UE 102 may further request to receive an indication of an estimated location information of the UE 102 from the network, such as the gNB 300. In an example embodiment, the UE 102 may request that for positioning purposes the UE 102 would transmit only UL positioning reference signals (e.g., SRS) while the GNSS receiver is deactivated. Alternatively, the UE 102 may request to perform only DL PRS measurements for DL based positioning while the GNSS receiver is deactivated.

[0043] In one example, the UE 102 may request to activate one or more RAT-dependent positioning methods (e.g., UL- and / or DL-based positioning methods) while the GNSS receiver is deactivated.

[0044] Hence, the UE 102 may request from the network that while the RAT-independent positioning is deactivated, the position / location of the UE 102 is estimated with RAT-dependent positioning performed only at the network side, only at the UE side, or that at least one of the UL or DL based positioning is used.

[0045] After initiation of the procedure, at operation 308, at least one of the UE 102 or the gNB 300 may report positioning measurements for the LMF 302. In case of DL-based positioning, the positioning measurements may be received from the UE 102. In case of UL-based positioning, the positioning measurements may be received from the gNB 300. The positioning measurements may comprise, for example, cell ID information or measurements performed based on reference signals (e.g., SRS or PRS).

[0046] At operation 310, the LMF 302 may be configured to initiate a validation process. During the validation process, the LMF 302 may determine whether a set of conditions are fulfilled for applying control parameters related to operation of at least the GNSS receiver of the UE 102. At operation 312, the LMF 302 may request, from at least one of the UE 102 or the gNB 300, assistance information to be used in the validation process. The assistance information may be associated with, for example, at least one of UL transmission capacity of the UE 102 or available DL resources of the network. At operation 314, at least one of the UE102 or the gNB 300 provides the assistance information to the UE 102 based on the request received at operation 312.

[0047] The set of conditions may include, for example, at least one of whether a coarse location of the UE 102 satisfies certain criteria or not, whether the GNSS-based positioning will properly work or not, whether it is possible to activate only one or more RAT-dependent positioning methods to be used by the UE 102 such that sufficient location accuracy can be obtained. For example, the LMF 302 may determine if at least one of the RAT-independent positioning or the RAT-dependent positioning provides accuracy satisfying an accuracy requirement for estimating the location of the user device.

[0048] In an embodiment, the coarse location of the UE 102 may be estimated based on the cell ID information provided in the positioning measurements of operation 308. Alternatively, the LMF 302 may determine the coarse location of the UE 102 using one or more RAT- independent positioning methods, such as Bluetooth or WLAN based positioning, or hybrid methods including e.g. motion sensor positioning. When the coarse location of the UE 102 is indicative of that the UE 102 is located in a building, the LMF 102 may conclude that the GNSS-based positioning is not likely to work properly and the GNSS receiver may be deactivated.

[0049] The criteria to be satisfied for the coarse location of the UE 102 may be based on a likelihood of the UE 102 locating in vicinity of at least a certain number of neighbor access nodes or a likelihood that the UE 102 has LOS connections with at least a certain number of transmission reception points (TRPs). The number of LOS connections may be determined, for example, based on a knowledge of locations of the TRPs and surrounding environments or based on requested information from the UE 102. The one or more criteria may be determined to be met, for example, based on determining that the number of LOS connections between TRPs and the user device is below or above a first threshold, a number of non-line- of-site (NLOS) connections between the TRPs and the user device is above or below a second threshold or a number of neighbor access nodes of the user device is above or below a third threshold.

[0050] Additionally, the LMF 302 may utilize mobility information of the UE 102 in the validation process. For example, if the UE 102 is moving at a speed exceeding a fourth threshold (e.g., the UE 102 is located at a high-speed train), it may be difficult to perform RAT-dependent positioning measurements from highly synchronized access nodes. In this case, the LMF 300 may determine not to approve the request to deactivate the GNSS receiver. On the other hand, if the UE 102 is moving at a speed below the fourth threshold, e.g., in anurban or indoor environment, the LMF 302 may determine that RAT-dependent positioning methods are likely to provide better accuracy while the UE 102 may have NLOS connections with most the available satellites. In this case, the LMF 302 may determine to approve the request to deactivate the GNSS receiver.

[0051] In an embodiment, the LMF 302 may determine to allow the UE 102 to use only UL- based positioning for RAT-dependent methods. For example, the LMF 302 may determine to allow usage of the UL-based positioning based on determining that at least one of the following: the UE 102 supports or has sufficient UL transmission power capability, the UE 102 is located at a cell edge where UL transmissions can be received by multiple access nodes, or the number of LOS connections between TRPs and the UE 102 is above the first threshold.

[0052] In addition, or alternatively, the LMF 302 may determine to allow the UE 102 to use only the UL-based positioning based on assistance information received from one or more access nodes. For example, the LMF 302 may determine based on the received assistance information that the access node(s) have sufficient resources for UL positioning signal receptions in order to allow the UL-based positioning for the UE 102. On the other hand, the LMF 302 may determine based on the assistance information that the access node(s) suffer from a lack of DL resources. In this case, the LMF 302 may determine to allow the use of only UL-based positioning for the UE 102. The lack of DL resources may be, for example, due to required data communications with a massive amount of devices by the access nodes.

[0053] In an embodiment, the LMF 302 may determine to allow the UE 102 to use only DL- based positioning. For example, the LMF 302 may determine to allow the DL-based positioning when the LMF 302 determines that the access nodes do not have enough UL resources, such as resources for handling UL SRS transmissions from a massive number of UEs.

[0054] At operation 316, the LMF may define the control parameters related to operation of at least the GNSS receiver of the UE 102 based on the performed validation.

[0055] At operation 318, the LMF 302 may send a control configuration comprising the control parameters to the UE 102. When the procedure is initiated by the UE 102, the control configuration may be transmitted as a response to the request received at operation 306. When the procedure is initiated by the LMF 302, the LMF 302 may transmit a request to the UE 102 to apply the control configuration to save power of the UE 102.

[0056] The control parameters may be provided by the LMF 302 and may be configured to be immediately used by the UE 102. Optionally, the LMF 302 may provide the UE 102 withthe control parameters and a conditional approval to apply the control parameters. The control parameters may be, for example, time-based or mobility event-triggered to control usage of the GNSS receiver.

[0057] The LMF 302 may thus first determine if one or more conditions for applying one or more control parameters are met for the UE 102. The determination may be performed in response to the request received from the UE 102. Alternatively, the determination may be initiated by the LMF 302 without any request received from the UE 102. When at least one of the conditions is met, the LMF 302 may determine the control configuration that can be immediately applied by the UE 102. When the LMF 302 determines that the conditions are not met for the UE 102, the LMF 302 may determine to send the conditional approval, based on which the UE 102 is allowed to apply the provided control configuration when the UE 102 detects that one or more conditions associated with the received control configuration are met.

[0058] In case of the time-based control parameters, the LMF 302 may request the UE 102 to turn off the GNSS receiver over a certain time window. Further, the UE 102 may be requested by the LMF 302 to rely on one or more other positioning techniques during said time window to estimate the location of the UE 102. The time window may be, for example, a single time window, an aperiodic time window or a periodic time window. The single time window may be indicated to the UE 102 via a single request. The aperiodic time window may be indicated to the UE 102 via multiple requests. The periodic time window may refer to multiple time windows in the future indicated to the UE 102 via a single request.

[0059] In case of the mobility event-triggered control parameters, the LMF 302 may request the UE 102 to turn off the GNSS receiver when the UE 102 moves out of a certain area. In addition, or alternatively, the LMF 302 may request the UE 102 to turn off the GNSS receiver when the number of LOS connections between the TRPs and the UE 102 is below the first threshold. In addition, or alternatively, the LMF 302 may request the UE 102 to turn off the GNSS receiver when the UE 102 is determined to be indoors. The indoor location of the UE 102 may be determined, for example, using Wi-Fi based positioning.

[0060] In one example, the LMF 302 may determine that the UE 102 cannot rely on a single positioning method. In other words, the LMF 302 may determine that neither the RAT-dependent positioning methods nor the RAT-independent positioning methods (including the GNSS-based positioning) can provide sufficient accuracy for localization of the UE 102 when used on their own. Therefore, assistance data from one or more RAT-dependent methods may be needed to improve positioning estimation accuracy of the GNSS-based positioning. Alternatively, assistance data from the GNSS-based positioning may be needed to improvepositioning estimation accuracy of the one or more RAT-dependent methods. For example, in some cases, using GNSS assistance data (e.g., integer ambiguity fixes, pseudo ranges, and carrier phase ranges) with certain RAT-dependent positioning methods (e.g., carrier phase positioning) may help estimating the UE location with an accuracy that is aligned with target accuracy requirements.

[0061] In such scenarios, the LMF 302 may determine to request the UE 102 to activate the GNSS receiver only when relevant RAT-dependent measurements are performed. Correspondingly, the LMF 302 may instruct the UE 102 to deactivate the GNSS receiver when the relevant RAT-dependent measurement instances are not being performed or available. The relevant RAT-dependent measurements may refer to any measurements performed, or received, by the UE 102 that are used to improve the accuracy of GNSS-based positioning. Alternatively, the relevant RAT-dependent measurements may refer to measurements, for which, the accuracy can be improved with the GNSS-based positioning being activated. Examples of such measurements include carrier phase measurements for realtime kinematic (RTK) corrections and RAT-based assistance data (e.g. reference locations) used to determine GNSS integrity results. For example, the LMF 302 may request the UE 102 to activate the GNSS receiver only when a specific RAT-dependent positioning method is used to provide assistance data for the GNSS-based positioning. In addition, or alternatively, the LMF 302 may request the UE 102 to activate the GNSS receiver only when it is used to provide assistance data for a specific RAT-dependent positioning method.

[0062] In one example, the LMF 302 may request the UE 102 to use only the GNSS receiver (and / or other RAT-independent methods) for positioning and to deactivate the RAT-dependent methods based on one or more conditions. Deactivation of the RAT-dependent methods may include to stop performing PRS measurements, SRS transmissions and related measurement report transmissions.

[0063] The one or more conditions for activating the GNSS receiver and deactivating the RAT-dependent methods may be based on at least one of the received power of UL SRS for positioning at a certain number of access nodes being below certain levels (e.g., the UE 102 is located at a rural area), speed of the UE is above the fourth threshold or the probability of LOS connections with satellites is above the first threshold. For example, the UE 102 may report the LOS probability with satellites to the LMF 302 based on reporting criteria. This enables, that the GNSS receiver is activated only when it may not be possible to estimate the location of the UE 102 by other means. Hence, usage of the GNSS receiver may be restricted for positioning not only by defining when to stop using the GNSS receiver to save power butrather by defining more restrictive conditions under which conditions the UE 102 may use the GNSS receiver. This further enables that when it may not be possible to avoid using the GNSS receiver, then at least the RAT-dependent positioning methods are turned off to limit the power consumption caused by positioning.

[0064] In one example, the LMF 302 may instruct the UE 102 to apply the control parameters in one or more time windows. Alternatively, the LMF 302 may instruct the UE 102 to apply the control parameters when certain conditions are met. The UE 102 may be configured to monitor the one or more time windows or conditions for applying the received control configuration. The monitoring may be performed based on measurements performed or obtained by the UE 102. For example, in case of the deactivation of RAT-dependent positioning, the LMF 302 may provide to the gNB 300, at operation 320, the respective control configuration and an indication of the one or more future time windows or the one or more conditions at which the control configuration for deactivation of the RAT-dependent positioning is valid. The gNB 300 may then forward the control configuration and the indication of the one or more future time windows or the one or more conditions to the UE 102 at operation 322. The UE 102 may monitor the one or more time windows or conditions for applying the received control configuration.

[0065] Alternatively, the UE 102 may receive an indication from the network when the one or more conditions are met. For example, in case of the deactivation of RAT-dependent positioning, the LMF 302 may provide to the gNB 300, at operation 320, the respective control configuration and an indication of the one or more future time windows or the one or more conditions at which the control configuration for deactivation of the RAT-dependent positioning is valid. Based on the control configuration received from the LMF 302 according to the indicated time windows or conditions to apply said control configuration, the gNB 300 may then instruct the UE 102, at operation 322, to deactivate the RAT-dependent positioning.

[0066] At operation 324, the UE 102 may determine the instructions for deactivation / activation, that is, turning off / on, the GNSS receiver or RAT-dependent positioning methods, based on the control configuration received from the LMF 302. Based on the instructions, the GNSS receiver may be used only when necessary for positioning. The UE 102 may thus rely on other positioning methods, e.g., the RAT-dependent positioning methods and / or one or more other RAT-independent methods, when the GNSS receiver is deactivated. The UE 102 may be further configured to adjust when it performs the RAT- dependent positioning such that usage of the RAT-dependent positioning methods is aligned with the (de)activation instructions of the GNSS receiver. For example, only RAT-dependentmeasurements supporting the GNSS positioning may be performed when the GNSS receiver is activated, and one or more other RAT-dependent positioning techniques may be used when the GNSS receiver is deactivated.

[0067] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a method 400 for controlling RAT-independent positioning operations of a user device according to an example embodiment. Method 400 may be performed by a device, e.g., UE 102, or by a control apparatus configured to control the functioning thereof, when installed therein. In one example, the device may comprise a LPWA device.

[0068] At operation 402, the method may comprise transmitting, to a network node, a request for control configurations of for at least RAT-independent positioning to save power of the user device. The network node may comprise, for example, an access node or an LMF.

[0069] At operation 404, the method may comprise receiving, from the network node, a response to the request comprising the control configurations for at least the RAT-independent positioning.

[0070] At operation 406, the method may comprise performing, by the user device, operations of at least the RAT-independent positioning based on the received control configuration.

[0071] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a method 500 for enabling control of RAT-independent positioning operations of a user device according to an example embodiment. Method 500 may be performed by a device, e.g., a network node, or by a control apparatus configured to control the functioning thereof, when installed therein. The network node may comprise, for example, an access node, a gNB, or a EMF.

[0072] At operation 502, the method may comprise receiving, from a user device, a request for control configurations for at least RAT-independent positioning to save power of the user device. The user device may be, for example, a LPWA device.

[0073] At operation 504, the method may comprise determining, based on one or more conditions, the control configurations for at least the RAT-independent positioning to be applied by the user device.

[0074] At operation 506, the method may comprise transmitting, to the user device, a response to the request comprising the determined control configurations for at least the RAT-independent positioning.

[0075] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of another method 600 for controlling RAT-independent positioning operations of a user device according to an example embodiment. Method 600 may be performed by a device, e.g., UE 102, or by a control apparatus configuredto control the functioning thereof, when installed therein. In one example, the device may comprise a LPWA device.

[0076] At operation 602, the method may comprise receiving, from a network node, a request to apply control configuration determined by the network node for at least RAT-independent positioning to save power of the user device. The network node may comprise, for example, an access node or an LMF.

[0077] At operation 604, the method may comprise performing operations of at least the RAT-independent positioning based on the received control configuration.

[0078] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of another method 700 for enabling control of RAT-independent positioning operations of a user device according to an example embodiment. Method 700 may be performed by a device, e.g., a network node, or by a control apparatus configured to control the functioning thereof, when installed therein. The network node may comprise, for example, an access node, a gNB, or an LMF.

[0079] At operation 702, the method may comprise determining, based on one or more conditions, control configuration for at least radio access technology, RAT, independent positioning to be applied by a user device. The user device may be, for example, a LPWA device.

[0080] At operation 704, the method may comprise transmitting, to the user device, a request to apply the control configuration determined by the network node for at least the RAT-independent positioning to save power of the user device.

[0081] Further features of the methods directly result for example from functionality of UE 102, access node(s) 104, or LMF as described throughout the description, claims, and drawings, and are therefore not repeated here. An apparatus, for example a device such as UE 102, or a network node, may be configured to perform or cause performance of any aspect of the method(s) described herein. Further, a computer program, a computer program product, or a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium may comprise instructions for causing, when executed by an apparatus, the apparatus to perform any aspect of the method(s) described herein. Further, an apparatus may comprise means for performing any aspect of the method(s) described herein. According to an example embodiment, the means comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform any aspect of the method(s).

[0082] Any range or device value given herein may be extended or altered without losing the effect sought. Also, any embodiment may be combined with another embodiment unless explicitly disallowed.

[0083] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims and other equivalent features and acts are intended to be within the scope of the claims.

[0084] It will be understood that the benefits and advantages described above may relate to one embodiment or may relate to several embodiments. The embodiments are not limited to those that solve any or all of the stated problems or those that have any or all of the stated benefits and advantages. It will further be understood that reference to 'an' item may refer to one or more of those items.

[0085] The steps or operations of the methods described herein may be carried out in any suitable order, or simultaneously where appropriate. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from any of the methods without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Aspects of any of the example embodiments described above may be combined with aspects of any of the other example embodiments described to form further example embodiments without losing the effect sought.

[0086] The term 'comprising' is used herein to mean including the method, blocks, or elements identified, but that such blocks or elements do not comprise an exclusive list and a method or apparatus may contain additional blocks or elements.

[0087] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0088] Although subjects may be referred to as ‘first’ or ‘second’ subjects, this does not necessarily indicate any order or importance of the subjects. Instead, such attributes may be used solely for the purpose of making a difference between subjects.

[0089] As used in this application, the term ‘circuitry’ may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry) and (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) :(i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s),that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims.

[0090] As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0091] It will be understood that the above description is given by way of example only and that various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art. The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments. Although various embodiments have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from scope of this specification.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A user device, comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory including instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the user device at least to:receive, from a network node, a request to apply control configuration determined by the network node for at least radio access technology, RAT, independent positioning to save power of the user device; andperform operations of at least the RAT-independent positioning based on the received control configuration.

2. The user device of claim 1, the user device comprises a low power wide area, LPWA, device.

3. The user device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the RAT-independent positioning comprises at least one of positioning measurements, sensing measurements, synchronization operations, or location estimation, performed by at least one of a global navigation satellite system, GNSS, receiver or one or more sensors4. The user device of any preceding claim, wherein the control configuration received from the network node comprises configurations associated to with at least one of:deactivating the RAT-independent positioning;deactivating the RAT-independent positioning and activating one or more RAT-dependent positioning methods while the RAT-independent positioning is deactivated;activating the RAT-independent positioning only when a specific RAT-dependent positioning method is used to provide assistance data for the RAT-independent positioning;activating the RAT-independent positioning only when it is used to provide assistance data for a specific RAT-dependent positioning methods; oractivating the RAT-independent positioning and deactivating the RAT-dependent positioning methods while the RAT-independent positioning is activated.

5. The user device of any preceding claim, wherein the user device is instructed to apply the control configuration in one or more time windows or based on determining that one or more conditions are met.

6. The user device of claim 5, wherein the one or more time windows comprise a single time window, an aperiodic time window or a periodic time window for applying the control configuration.

7. The user device of claim 5 or 6, wherein the one or more conditions comprise at least one of the following:an estimated location of the user device meets one or more criteria;at least one of the RAT-independent positioning or one or more RAT-dependent positioning methods are determined to provide accuracy satisfying an accuracy requirement for positioning; orat least one of the RAT-independent positioning or the RAT-dependent positioning methods are determined to provide accuracy not satisfying an accuracy requirement for positioning.

8. The user device of any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the user device to:determine that the one or more conditions are met based on determining that at least one of the following:the user device is located indoors;the user device is located outside certain area;a number of line-of-site connections between transmission reception points, TRPs, and the user device is below or above a first threshold;a number of non-line-of-site connections between the TRPs and the user device is above or below a second threshold;a number of neighbor access nodes of the user device is above or below a third threshold;a speed of the user node is above a fourth threshold;an uplink transmission power capability of the user device is sufficient for RAT-dependent positioning; orthe user device is located at a cell edge.

9. A network node, comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory including instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network node at least to:determine, based on one or more conditions, control configuration for at least radio access technology, RAT, independent positioning to be applied by a user device; and transmit, to the user device, a request to apply the control configuration determined by the network node for at least the RAT-independent positioning to save power of the user device.

10. The network node of claim 9, wherein the network node comprises an access node or a location and management function, LMF.

11. The network node of claim 9 or 10, wherein the one or more conditions comprise at least one of an estimated location of the user device determined to meet one or more criteria or at least one RAT-dependent positioning method determined to provide an accuracy satisfying an accuracy requirement for positioning; and wherein the control configuration comprises instructions for the user device to perform at least one of the following: deactivating the RAT-independent positioning or using the at least one RAT-dependent positioning method while the RAT-independent positioning is deactivated12. The network node of any of claims 9 to 11, wherein the one or more conditions comprise that using only the RAT-independent positioning or only RAT-dependent positioning method is determined to provide accuracy not satisfying an accuracy requirement for positioning; andwherein the control configuration comprises at least one of the following: instructions for the user device to activate the RAT-independent positioning only when a specific RAT-dependent positioning method is used to provide assistance data for the RAT-independent positioning; or instructions to activate the RAT-independent positioning only when it is used to provide assistance data for the specific RAT-dependent positioning method.

13. The network node of any of claims 9 to 12, wherein the one or more conditions comprise at least one of the following: the RAT-independent positioning is determined to provide sufficient accuracy for positioning or each of the RAT-dependent positioning methods is determined to provide insufficient accuracy for positioning; and wherein the control configuration comprises instructions to activate the RAT-independent positioning and to deactivate the RAT-dependent positioning methods while the RAT-independent positioning is activated.

14. The network node of any of claims 9 to 13, wherein the one or more conditions are determined to be met based on determining that at least one of the following:the user device is located indoors;the user device is located outside certain area;a number of line-of-site connections between transmission reception points, TRPs, and the user device is below or above a first threshold;a number of non-line-of-site connections between the TRPs and the user device is above or below a second threshold;the number of neighbor access nodes of the user device is above or below a third threshold;a speed of the user node is above a fourth threshold;an uplink transmission power capability of the user device is determined to be sufficient for RAT-dependent positioning;the user device is located at a cell edge;a received power of uplink sounding reference signals for positioning at a certain number of access nodes is below certain levels; oravailable resources of the neighbor access nodes for handling at least one of uplink or downlink positioning signals is sufficient for RAT-dependent positioning.

15. The network node of any of claims 9 to 14, wherein the control configuration instructs the user device to apply the control configuration in one or more time windows or based on determining that one or more conditions are met.

16. The network node of claim 15, wherein the one or more time windows comprise at least one of a single time window, an aperiodic time window or a periodic time window.

17. The network node of any of claims 9 to 16, wherein the RAT-independent positioning comprises at least one of positioning measurements, sensing measurements, synchronization operations, or location estimation, performed by at least one of a global navigation satellite system, GNSS, receiver or one or more sensors.

18. A method, comprising:receiving, by a user device from a network node, a request to apply control configuration determined by the network node for at least radio access technology, RAT, independent positioning to save power of the user device; andperforming, by the user device, operations of at least the RAT-independent positioning based on the received control configuration19. A method, comprising:determining, by a network node based on one or more conditions, control configuration for at least radio access technology, RAT, independent positioning to be applied by a user device; andtransmitting, by the network node to the user device, a request to apply the control configuration determined by the network node for at least the RAT-independent positioning to save power of the user device.

20. An apparatus, comprising:means for receiving, by a user device from a network node, a request to apply control configuration determined by the network node for at least radio access technology, RAT, independent positioning to save power of the user device; andmeans for performing, by the user device, operations of at least the RAT-independent positioning based on the received control configuration21. An apparatus, comprising:means for determining, by a network node based on one or more conditions, control configuration for at least radio access technology, RAT, independent positioning to be applied by a user device; andmeans for transmitting, by the network node to the user device, a request to apply the control configuration determined by the network node for at least the RAT-independent positioning to save power of the user device.

22. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, are configured to cause an apparatus to perform:receiving, by a user device from a network node, a request to apply control configuration determined by the network node for at least radio access technology, RAT, independent positioning to save power of the user device; andperforming, by the user device, operations of at least the RAT-independent positioning based on the received control configuration23. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, are configured to cause an apparatus to perform:determining, by a network node based on one or more conditions, control configuration for at least radio access technology, RAT, independent positioning to be applied by a user device; andtransmitting, by the network node to the user device, a request to apply the control configuration determined by the network node for at least the RAT-independent positioning to save power of the user device.

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