Patent Description:
Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in the background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present invention.

Third and fourth generation mobile telecommunication systems, such as those based on the 3GPP (<NUM>rd Generation Partnership Project) defined UMTS and Long Term Evolution (LTE) architecture, are able to support more sophisticated services than simple voice and messaging services offered by previous generations of mobile telecommunication systems.

One requirement of future wireless communications networks is to be able to quickly and accurately determine the location of terminal devices of the wireless communication network so as to be able to provide location based services to those terminal devices. The determination of the location (position) of terminal devices in a wireless communications network may be referred to as positioning. Positioning may be carried out by a terminal device based on positioning information transmitted to the terminal device by infrastructure equipment of the network. The positioning information is used with a predetermined positioning scheme (comprising one or more of instructions and additional information for determining the position of the terminal device using the positioning information) by the terminal device in order to determine its position. For example, when the terminal device determines its position using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Signals) signals such as Global Positioning System (GPS) signals or the like, the terminal device uses such signals (e.g. the strength and/or quality of each signal received from a plurality of satellites) together with positioning information received from the network (e.g. indicating the position of each satellite) in order to determine its location.

With next generation wireless communications networks (such as those referred to as New Radio (NR) or <NUM> (<NUM>th Generation) networks), there is a greater need for reduced network overhead and reduced terminal device power consumption (particularly for low complexity devices such as Internet of Things (IoT) or Machine Type Communications (MTC) devices, which are expected to be widely used in new generation networks). There is therefore a need to determine ways of transmitting positioning information (also referred to as positioning assistance information or assistance information) to terminal devices of the network which help meet these requirements.

<CIT> is directed to techniques for Location Services (LCS) Assistance Data broadcast, for example for implementation in LTE and LTE-A systems.

Non-patent document "The positioning assistance data broadcasting" (CMCC) discusses how to specify a new SIB for positioning assistance information and the procedure on how to broadcast the positioning information.

Non-patent document "Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Radio Resource Control (RRC); Protocol specification (3GPP TS <NUM> version <NUM>. <NUM> Release <NUM>)" is a technical specification produced by 3GPP and relating to RRC in UMTS.

The present technique is defined according to the claims.

<FIG> provides a schematic diagram illustrating some basic functionality of a mobile telecommunications network / system operating in accordance with LTE principles and which may be adapted to implement embodiments of the disclosure as described further below. It will be appreciated, however, that the use of LTE is only an example, and that the principles of the present disclosure may be applied to other types of wireless communications systems such as UMTS or NR (<NUM>). Various elements of <FIG> and their respective modes of operation are well-known and defined in the relevant standards administered by the 3GPP (RTM) body, , for example, 3GPP TS36 series [<NUM>] for LTE and 3GPP TS38 series for NR [<NUM>]. It will be appreciated that operational aspects of the telecommunications network which are not specifically described below may be implemented in accordance with any known techniques, for example according to the relevant standards.

The network <NUM> includes a plurality of base stations <NUM> connected to a core network <NUM>. Each base station provides a coverage area <NUM> (i.e. a cell) within which data can be communicated to and from communications devices <NUM>. Data is transmitted from base stations <NUM> to communications devices <NUM> within their respective coverage areas <NUM> via a radio downlink. Data is transmitted from communications devices <NUM> to the base stations <NUM> via a radio uplink. The uplink and downlink communications are made using radio resources that are licenced for exclusive use by the operator of the network <NUM>. The core network <NUM> routes data to and from the communications devices <NUM> via the respective base stations <NUM> and provides functions such as authentication, mobility management, charging and so on. A communications device may also be referred to as a mobile station, user equipment (UE), user device, mobile radio, terminal device, terminal and so forth. A base stations may also be referred to as a transceiver station, infrastructure equipment, NodeB (which is a UMTS base station), eNodeB (which is a LTE base station (eNB for short)), gNodeB (which is a NR base station (gNB for short)), and so forth.

Wireless communications systems such as those arranged in accordance with the 3GPP defined Long Term Evolution (LTE) architecture use an orthogonal frequency division modulation (OFDM) based interface for the radio downlink (so-called OFDMA) and a single carrier frequency division multiple access scheme (SC-FDMA) on the radio uplink.

<FIG> schematically shows some components of a UE <NUM> and a base station <NUM> according to an example embodiment.

The UE <NUM> comprises a receiver <NUM>, a transmitter <NUM>, a controller <NUM> and a storage medium <NUM>. The transmitter <NUM> is for transmission of wireless signals (e.g. radio signals) to infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network. The receiver <NUM> is for reception of wireless signals (e.g. radio signals) from infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network. The storage medium <NUM> is for storage of digital data (and may take the form of solid state storage, for example). The controller <NUM> is configured to control the receiver <NUM>, transmitter <NUM> and storage medium <NUM> to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The controller <NUM> may comprise various sub-units for providing functionality in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure as explained further below. These sub-units may be implemented as discrete hardware elements or as appropriately configured functions of the controller <NUM>. The controller <NUM> may be suitably configured / programmed to provide the desired functionality described herein using conventional programming / configuration techniques for equipment in telecommunications systems. The receiver <NUM>, transmitter <NUM>, controller <NUM> and storage medium <NUM> are schematically shown in <FIG> as separate elements for ease of representation. However, it will be appreciated that the functionality of these elements can be provided in various different ways, for example using a single suitably programmed computer, or suitably configured application-specific integrated circuit(s) / circuitry. It will be appreciated that, although not shown, the UE <NUM> will in general comprise various other elements associated with its operating functionality, such as a user interface, battery, and the like. In the following embodiments, the receiver <NUM>, transmitter <NUM> and controller <NUM> are implemented as circuitry. In particular, the functions of the controller <NUM> are carried out by processing circuitry comprised within the controller.

The base station <NUM> comprises a receiver <NUM>, a transmitter <NUM>, a controller <NUM> and a communication interface <NUM>. The transmitter <NUM> is for transmission of wireless signals (e.g. radio signals) to a terminal device of the wireless telecommunications network. The receiver <NUM> is for reception of wireless signals (e.g. radio signals) from a terminal device of the wireless telecommunications network. The communication interface <NUM> is for transmission of signals to or reception of signals from other infrastructure equipment of the network <NUM> (such signals being transmitted via the core network <NUM>, for example). The controller <NUM> is configured to control the transmitter <NUM>, receiver <NUM> and communication interface <NUM> to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The controller <NUM> may comprise various sub-units for providing functionality in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure as explained further below. These sub-units may be implemented as discrete hardware elements or as appropriately configured functions of the controller <NUM>. The controller <NUM> may be suitably configured / programmed to provide the desired functionality described herein using conventional programming / configuration techniques for equipment in telecommunications systems. The transmitter <NUM>, receiver <NUM>, controller <NUM> and communication interface <NUM> are schematically shown in <FIG> as separate elements for ease of representation. However, it will be appreciated that the functionality of these elements can be provided in various different ways, for example using a single suitably programmed computer, or suitably configured application-specific integrated circuit(s) / circuitry. It will be appreciated that, although not shown, the base station <NUM> will in general comprise various other elements associated with its operating functionality. In the following embodiments, the transmitter <NUM>, receiver <NUM>, controller <NUM> and communication interface <NUM> are implemented as circuitry. In particular, the functions of the controller <NUM> are carried out by processing circuitry comprised within the controller.

In an embodiment of the UE <NUM>, the receiver <NUM> is configured to receive, from the base station <NUM>, a signal comprising positioning information for allowing a spatial position of the terminal device to be determined using the positioning information and a predetermined positioning scheme associated with the positioning information.

The positioning scheme comprises one or more of instructions and additional information for determining the position of the terminal device using the positioning information. For example, in the case that the received positioning information is GNSS positioning assistance information, the positioning scheme comprises instructions (e.g. stored in the storage medium <NUM> of the UE <NUM>) for determining the position of the UE <NUM> using that positioning assistance information and additional information in the form of signals received by the UE <NUM> (via a GNSS receiver (not shown)) from one or more GNSS satellites operating according to the positioning scheme. Various GNSS schemes exist including GPS (mentioned earlier), GLONASS (Globalnaya Navigazionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema), Galileo, QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System), etc. Such GNSS schemes may be used in conjunction with schemes such as Real Time Kinematic (RTK) techniques discussed, for example, in [<NUM>], [<NUM>] or [<NUM>]. In any case, it should be understood that the term "positioning information" (or "positioning assistance information") relates to any information required for the UE <NUM> to determine its position in accordance with a particular positioning scheme. The positioning scheme should be understood to mean any further information or instructions required in order for the UE <NUM> to determine its position using the received positioning information. The further information and/or instructions of the positioning scheme may be known to the UE <NUM> in advance (e.g. stored in the storage medium <NUM>) and/or received as signals by the UE <NUM> (e.g. as GNSS signals from a GNSS receiver (not shown)).

In embodiment, the positioning information received by the receiver <NUM> is comprised within a system information block (SIB) of the received signal. SIBs are for the delivery of system information to the UE <NUM> from the network so as to enable data to be transmitted between the network and the UE <NUM> according to a particular communications standard (such as a suitable Long Term Evolution (LTE) or NR / <NUM> standard). The concept of SIBs for the delivery of system information and the types of system information deliverable by SIBs are known in the art, and will therefore not be discussed in detail here for the sake of brevity. The controller <NUM> is configured to determine, based on a characteristic of the SIB, a temporal validity of the received positioning information (that is, an amount of time for which the positioning information comprised within the received SIB is valid for determining the position of the UE <NUM>. At a time at which the received positioning information is temporally valid, the controller <NUM> is configured to determine the spatial position of the terminal device using the received positioning information and the predetermined positioning scheme.

In an embodiment of the base station <NUM>, the transmitter <NUM> is configured to transmit, to the UE <NUM>, the signal comprising positioning information for allowing a spatial position of the terminal device to be determined using the positioning information and the predetermined positioning scheme associated with the positioning information. The positioning information transmitted by the transmitter <NUM> is comprised within a system information block (SIB) of the transmitted signal, wherein the SIB is associated with a characteristic indicative to the UE <NUM> of the temporal validity of the transmitted positioning information. This allows the UE <NUM> to determine, at a time at which the received positioning information is temporally valid, the spatial position of the UE <NUM> using the received positioning information and the predetermined positioning scheme, as previously discussed.

Further details of some embodiments of the present technique are now discussed.

Embodiments of the present technique allow various types of positioning information to be received by the UE <NUM> in a manner which is both efficient in terms of network overhead (since the amount of data that needs to be transmitted using network resources in order to transmit up-to-date positioning information to the UE <NUM> is reduced) and UE power consumption (since new positioning information is only transmitted to the UE <NUM> when necessary, thus saving the power consumption associated with receiving positioning information). In particular, the embodiments of the present invention may be used for the transmission of positioning information used in an RTK (Real Time Kinematic) positioning scheme (as discussed in [<NUM>], [<NUM>] and [<NUM>], for example). It can be gathered from the teachings of [<NUM>], [<NUM>] and [<NUM>] that:.

In embodiments, the present technique allows the positioning information to be delivered via system information in such a way that the above-mentioned validity area and validity time of the positioning information is taken into account.

According to existing 3GPP agreements (e.g. as discussed in [<NUM>], [<NUM>] and [<NUM>]), the various types of positioning information relating to respective types of positioning schemes may be included in a single SIB. Such a SIB includes all necessary positioning information for each positioning scheme (e.g. OTDOA (Observed Time Difference Of Arrival), conventional RTK, Network RTK and the like). All the information shares the same value tag and is valid for the same predetermined validity time (e.g. <NUM> hours for LTE). Such an arrangement means that, even though different instances of positioning information may have different respective validity times and/or validity areas, in the case that one instance of positioning information needs to be updated, a UE must receive and decode a whole new SIB comprising all positioning information (even the positioning information which has not been updated). The transmission of this unnecessary information results in increased network overhead and increased UE power consumption.

The present technique recognises this, and provides an arrangement which focusses only on the positioning information which actually has to be updated, based on the validity time and validity area associated with each type of received positioning information.

In one embodiment, positioning information having the same validity area and validity time is comprised within a dedicated SIB. This alleviates the need to regularly updated all positioning information (regardless of validity area or validity time), thus reducing network overhead and UE power consumption (since the UE does not need to receive and decode all positioning information comprised within a SIB when only a certain type of positioning information is actually being used for positioning by the UE). In this case, a dedicated timer is allocated to each respective SIB according to the validity time of the positioning information (all having the same validity area) carried by that SIB.

More specifically, each instance of positioning information (each instance of positioning information being for determining a position of the UE <NUM> using a respective positioning scheme) with the same validity area is transmitted in one of a plurality of SIBs dedicated to the transmission of positioning information with that specific validity area. That is, there is a plurality of SIBs each associated with a specific validity area, and each of these SIBs carries positioning information with that specific validity area. The validity time of positioning information carried by that SIB is indicated by a characteristic of the SIB. For example, the characteristic may be an identifier of the SIB which distinguishes it from other SIBs such as a number indicative of the SIB type. For example, each SIB type may be labelled SIB-X , where X is a number with a different respective value for each different type of SIB. SIB-n may then carry positioning information with a first validity area and a first validity time, SIB-n+<NUM> may then carry positioning information with the first validity area and a second validity time, SIB-n+<NUM> may then carry positioning information with a second validity area and the first validity time (or even a third validity time) and SIB-n+<NUM> may then carry positioning information with the second validity area and the second validity time (or even the third or a fourth validity time). In this case, n, n+<NUM>, n+<NUM> and n+<NUM> are examples of values which X may take. A UE <NUM> carrying out positioning using positioning information with the first validity area and which expires at the first validity time therefore knows that, once the first validity time expires, it only needs to receive SIB-n in order to receive updated positioning information. On the other hand, a UE <NUM> carrying out positioning using positioning information with the first validity area and which expires at the second validity time knows that, once the second validity time expires, it only needs to receive SIB-n+<NUM> in order to receive updated positioning information. Similarly, a UE <NUM> carrying out positioning using positioning information with the second validity area and which expires at the first (or third) validity time therefore knows that, once the first (or third) validity time expires, it only needs to receive SIB-n+<NUM> in order to receive updated positioning information. On the other hand, a UE <NUM> carrying out positioning using positioning information with the second validity area and which expires at the second (or third, or fourth) validity time knows that, once the second (or third, or fourth) validity time expires, it only needs to receive SIB-n+<NUM> in order to receive updated positioning information. The validity time and validity area of each SIB may be known by the UE <NUM> in advance (e.g. data indicative of the validity time and validity area of each SIB may be stored in the storage medium <NUM>). In an embodiment, each validity area is associated with a respective area ID which is know by the UE <NUM> in advance. The SIB(s) associated with each validity area are then associated with the area ID of that area. For example, the storage medium <NUM> of the UE <NUM> may store a lookup table relating each SIB type (as identified by the number SIB-X) with a respective area ID.

A more general example of this is shown in <FIG>, in which a first SIB <NUM> (SIB_1x) has a validity area <NUM> (e.g. of the order of hundreds of metres) and a validity time <NUM> (e.g. of the order of tens of seconds), a second SIB <NUM> (SIB_1y) has a validity area <NUM> (e.g. of the order of hundreds of metres) and a validity time <NUM> (e.g. of the order of hundreds of seconds), a third SIB <NUM> (SIB_2x) has a validity area <NUM> (e.g. of the order of thousands of metres) and a validity time <NUM> (e.g. of the order of tens of seconds) and a fourth SIB <NUM> (SIB_2y) has a validity area <NUM> (e.g. of the order of thousands of metres) and a validity time <NUM> (e.g. of the order of hundreds of seconds).

With the present technique, the UE <NUM> thus only needs to receive a SIB comprising the subset of positioning information containing the positioning information currently used by the UE <NUM> and, furthermore, only needs to receive that SIB when the validity time of the positioning information currently used by the UE has expired. This results in a reduction in the amount of data which must be transmitted to the UE <NUM> compared to the above-mentioned conventional arrangement, in which a single SIB containing data indicative of all positioning information must be received and decoded by the UE <NUM> in order to update only a single type of positioning information.

It is noted that, with the above-mentioned embodiment, each SIB will contain one or more types of positioning information, wherein positioning information for use with a particular positioning scheme for determining the position of the UE <NUM> is defined as being positioning information of a particular type. Each type of positioning information may be present in more than one SIB. For example, positioning information of a certain type (e.g. RTK positioning information) may be present in a first SIB associated with a first validity area and a first validity time and a second SIB associated with the first validity area and a second validity time, the second validity time being longer than the first validity time. In this case, depending on the required level of positioning accuracy of the UE <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may receive the positioning information in either the first SIB (if higher positioning accuracy is required, higher positioning accuracy requiring more up-to-date positioning information) or the second SIB (if lower positioning accuracy is required, lower positioning accuracy requiring less up-to-date positioning information). Similarly, positioning information of a certain type (e.g. RTK positioning information) may be present in a first SIB associated with a first validity area and a first validity time and a second SIB associated with a second validity area and the first validity time, the second validity area being larger than the first validity area. Again, depending on the required level of positioning accuracy of the UE <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may receive the positioning information in either the first SIB (if higher positioning accuracy is required, higher positioning accuracy requiring more geographically granulated positioning information) or the second SIB (if lower positioning accuracy is required, lower positioning accuracy requiring less geographically granulated positioning information).

In another embodiment, a single SIB is used for carrying all types of positioning information associated with a particular geographical region. However, each type of positioning information carried by the SIB is associated with a respective time value for use by the UE <NUM> in determining the validity time of the positioning information of that type.

More specifically, the SIB may be a SIB of a predetermined type (e.g. a SIB type with a particular numerical identifier SIB-X, where X is a number which allows the SIB type to be distinguished from other SIB types having different respective numerical identifiers) and may comprise each of a plurality of types of positioning information. Each type of positioning information is associated with respective data of the SIB indicating a time for determining the temporal validity positioning information of that type.

<FIG> schematically shows a process carried out by the UE <NUM> for receiving positioning information via such a SIB.

The process starts at step <NUM>. At step <NUM>, the UE <NUM> receives the SIB comprising each of the types of positioning information and the data indicative of the temporal validity of the positioning information of each type from the network. The temporal validity data comprises a date and/or time, for example. The temporal validity data comprised within the SIB is read by the UE <NUM> at step <NUM>.

In one example, the temporal validity data comprises a time stamp indicating a date and/or time of transmission of the SIB (in this case, data indicative of the time stamp may be present only once in the SIB and applies to the positioning information of all types carried by the SIB. In this case, the validity time of the positioning information of each type may be computed by the controller <NUM> of the UE <NUM> adding a predetermined validity duration of the positioning information of each type to the date and/or time indicated by the time stamp. Such validity durations may be stored in advance in the storage medium <NUM> of the UE <NUM>, for example, and may take the form of a duration (in a suitable time unit or combination of time units such as seconds, minutes, hours or days) specified for each type of positioning information. In this case, the calculated validity time of a particular type of positioning information is a date and/or time at which the validity of that positioning information expires. Validity durations may be specified in advance (or by suitable signals transmitted to the UE <NUM>) by any suitable source, such as space agencies operating GNSS satellites used for the positioning scheme associated with a particular type of positioning information (see [<NUM>] or [<NUM>], for example).

In another example, the temporal validity data comprises an expiry date and/or time of each respective type of positioning information. In this case, the UE <NUM> is able to use this information directly in determining the temporal validity of the received positioning information of a particular type.

It is noted that, in this description, the term "date and/or time" may be referred to more generally simply as the "time", since both the date (e.g. <NUM> November <NUM>) and time of day (e.g. <NUM>:15pm or <NUM>:30am) are measures of time.

At step <NUM>, it is determined, based on the determined validity time (e.g. expiry time) whether the positioning information of the type currently in use by the UE <NUM> has expired. Positioning information is deemed to have expired when the current time exceeds the expiry time. If the current positioning information has not yet expired, then the process returns to step <NUM>. On the other hand, if the current positioning information has expired, then the process proceeds to step <NUM>.

At step <NUM>, it is determined whether updated positioning information of the particular type which has expired is currently being broadcast (as part of the predetermined SIB) by the base station <NUM>. If updated positioning information is being broadcast, then the process proceeds to step <NUM>, in which the UE <NUM> receives the broadcast updated positioning information. On the other hand, if the updated positioning information is not currently being broadcast, then the process proceeds first to step <NUM>, in which the UE <NUM> transmits a request for the updated positioning information to be transmitted by the base station <NUM>. In response to this request, the base station <NUM> transmits the updated positioning information (using the predetermined SIB - in this case, the predetermined SIB is thus transmitted "on-demand"). The updated positioning information is then received by the UE <NUM> at step <NUM>. The process then ends at step <NUM>.

Thus, with this embodiment, it will be appreciated that the UE <NUM> must only receive the predetermined SIB comprising positioning information when the positioning information currently used by the UE <NUM> in determining its position has expired. Network overhead and UE power consumption is therefore reduced compared to the conventional arrangement in which a UE must receive and decode updated positioning information regardless of whether or not that updated positioning information is required. The reduction in network overhead and power consumption is especially relevant to UEs for which lower accuracy positioning is acceptable, since updated positioning information of the type used by the UE may be received at a significantly lower rate than would otherwise be possible.

In general, it will be appreciated that any SIB carrying updated positioning information (e.g. a SIB carrying only positioning information of types of a certain validity area and validity time or a SIB carrying all types of positioning information together with temporal validity data associated with each of those types) may be transmitted (e.g. broadcast or using dedicated signalling) by the base station <NUM> without the need for a request signal requesting transmission of the SIB being transmitted by the UE <NUM> (e.g. the base station <NUM> may periodically transmit the SIB) or, alternatively, in response to such a request signal being transmitted by the UE <NUM> (that is, the SIB is transmitted by the base station <NUM> in an on-demand manner).

In an embodiment, the UE <NUM> may be configured to continue using a particular type of positioning information even after the positioning information is no longer temporally valid (that is, after it has expired). In this case, the controller <NUM> may determine, based on one or more characteristics associated with the UE <NUM>, whether it is acceptable for the position of the UE <NUM> to continue to be determined using the positioning information which is no longer temporally valid. Data indicative of the one or more characteristics which must be met in order for expired positioning information to continue to be used may be stored in advance in the storage medium <NUM> of the UE <NUM>, for example. When it is determined that it is acceptable for the position of the UE <NUM> to continue to be determined using expired positioning information, the UE <NUM> may choose not to receive the updated positioning information until a later time and/or until the UE <NUM> moves to a geographical region for which different positioning information is required. An example of the characteristics which may be used to determine that expired positioning information may continue to be used by a UE <NUM> is discussed in <CIT>, for example. It will be appreciated that a UE <NUM> may also choose not to receive updated positioning information if the UE <NUM> moves outside of a validity area of that positioning information using a similar arrangement to that described here for the use of temporally expired positioning information (in particular, a UE <NUM> may choose to not update positioning information when moving outside of a validity area specified for that positioning information if one or more predetermined characteristics associated with the UE <NUM> are met). In either case (that is, using temporally expired positioning information or positioning information relating to a validity area which the UE <NUM> has now left), the receipt of updated positioning information is delayed and thus made less frequent. Network overhead (in particular in the case of updated positioning information being received via an on-demand SIB) and UE power consumption are therefore further reduced. The above-described arrangements are particularly relevant to UEs for which it is acceptable to have less accurate positioning (e.g. <NUM> accuracy reduced to <NUM> accuracy) in order to obtain lower power consumption.

In one example, if the UE <NUM> has an advanced GNSS receiver such as a dual band GPS receiver (e.g. L1 and L5), some assistance information is no longer important. For example, if an ionospheric model used for GPS is changed in response to a variation in the ionosphere, a dual band GPS receiver should be resilient to the change compared to a single band GPS receiver (e.g. L1 C/A only). A UE <NUM> with a dual band GPS receiver therefore does need to receive updated positioning information in the form of GNSS assistance information (generated based on the updated ionospheric model). In this case, the characteristic of the UE <NUM> which enables the UE <NUM> to not receive updated positioning information outside of the validity area and/or after expiry of the validity time comprises the two conditions (a) the updated positioning information updated GNSS assistance information relating to the changed ionospheric model and (b) the UE <NUM> has a dual band GPS receiver. Both (a) and (b) (stored in the storage medium <NUM>) must be satisfied in order for the UE <NUM> to delay the positioning information update.

As previously mentioned, each instance of positioning information may be associated with a validity area. The validity area of a particular instance of positioning information is a geographical region over which the positioning information is valid (that is, a geographical area over which use of that positioning information by a UE <NUM> in determining its position is deemed sufficiently accurate). Each base station <NUM> of the network <NUM> is also associated with a coverage area (or cell) within which signals may be transmitted between that base station <NUM> and a UE. The validity area of positioning information transmitted by the network may be larger than the coverage area of a base station <NUM> transmitting that positioning information. In particular, the validity area of certain positioning information may include the coverage areas of a plurality of base stations (e.g. neighbouring base stations). In this case, each of the plurality of base stations will transmit the same positioning information over a time period for which that positioning information is valid. Thus, when a UE <NUM> moves from the coverage area of one base station to another base station, it may not be necessary for the UE <NUM> to receive updated positioning information during the cell reselection process.

Thus, in an embodiment of the present technique, a UE <NUM> is able to determine, based on information transmitted by each base station <NUM> (e.g. in the -minimum system information transmitted by each base station <NUM>), the validity area of the positioning information currently used by the UE <NUM>. The information transmitted by each base station <NUM> may be an area identifier (area ID) indicating the relevant validity area, for example. When the UE moves from the coverage area of a first base station to the coverage area of a second base station, the UE (in particular, the control circuitry <NUM>) determines, based on the area ID transmitted by the first base station and the area ID transmitted by the second base station, whether the validity area of the positioning information currently used by the UE has changed. If the validity area has not changed, then the UE continues to perform positioning based on the positioning information previously received from the first base station. On the other hand, if the validity area has changed, then the UE receives new positioning information from the second base station. The UE <NUM> thus only needs to obtain new positioning information in the case that the validity area for the positioning information currently used by the UE <NUM> has changed, thus reducing network overhead and UE power consumption. It is noted that different instances of positioning information may be associated with different validity areas. Each instance of positioning information may be a different respective type of positioning information (based on the positioning scheme which uses that positioning information), for example.

A different area ID may be associated with each SIB used for transmission of the positioning information. In the case that one of a plurality of receivable SIBs is received by the UE <NUM> in order for the UE <NUM> to receive the positioning information (in the case that one or more types of positioning information for each validity area and validity time are transmitted in a respective SIB, as explained with reference to <FIG>, for example), each of the SIBs may be associated with a respective area ID indicative of the validity area of that SIB. In this case, when moving from one cell to another, a UE <NUM> searches for the area ID associated with the SIB within which the positioning information currently used by the UE <NUM> is found. Similarly, in the case that a single SIB comprising positioning information of all types, together with information indicative of the temporal validity of the positioning information of each type, is received by the UE <NUM> in order for the UE <NUM> to receive the positioning information (as explained with reference to <FIG>, for example), a single area ID may be associated with that single SIB. In this case, when moving from one cell to another, a UE <NUM> searches for the area ID associated with this single SIB.

It will be appreciated that the validity area indicated by a particular area ID may be different to the coverage area(s) of one or more base stations <NUM> which transmit that particular area ID. In particular, positioning information may still be valid in an out-of-coverage (OOC) area (in which case, the validity area extends beyond the coverage area(s) of the one or more base stations transmitting the area ID associated with that validity). As previously explained, the size of the validity area usually depends on the accuracy of positioning. If higher accuracy is not required, then the validity area may be larger in order to reduce network overhead and UE power consumption.

It will be appreciated that the validity area may be indicated by reusing an existing identifier or equivalent as the area ID. For example, Mobile Country Code (MCC) (in particular, for the case of country specific positioning information, such as QZSS in Japan), Mobile Network Code (MNC) or any core network level area identifiers (e.g. tracking area) may be used as the area ID. If an existing identifier or equivalent is used as the area ID, then the network does not need to send a dedicated area ID for each SIB comprising positioning information in the minimum system information. In this case, the validity areas are known by the UE <NUM> in advance since they are indicated by a SIM (subscriber identity module) card (not shown) or equivalent (e.g. software-based SIM known as an e-SIM) configured for use with the UE <NUM>, for example.

Each base station <NUM> may receive the positioning information and any additional associated information (e.g. validity area and/or validity time information) to be transmitted to UEs from another data processing apparatus such as a location server comprised within the network <NUM>. In this case, in order to reduce the processing burden and network overhead at this other data processing apparatus, a first base station (anchor base station) which is to transmit the same positioning information as a second base station may first receive the positioning information (and any additional associated information) from the other data processing apparatus and then transmit that positioning information to the second base station. The positioning information may therefore be shared between base stations, and the other data processing apparatus does not have to individually transmit the same positioning information to all base stations which require it.

Each base station <NUM> of the network <NUM> may receive positioning information from the other data processing apparatus or another base station <NUM> or may transmit positioning information to another base station <NUM> using communication interface <NUM>.

In one example (shown in <FIG>), each base station 101A, 101B and 101C is a NR gNodeB and the communication interface <NUM> of each of the base stations is an X2 / Xn interface. In this case, the gNBs neighbour each other and are configured transmit the same positioning information to a UE <NUM>. Thus, instead of a location server <NUM> determining and transmitting the positioning information individually for each gNB, the gNBs share the positioning information and over the X2/Xn interface. In particular:.

It will be appreciated that there may be a larger number of gNodeBs than that shown in <FIG>. In addition, it will also be appreciated that a gNodeB (such as gNodeB#<NUM>101A or gNodeB#<NUM>101B) which receives the positioning information from an anchor gNodeB may also, in turn, act as an anchor gNodeB in order to further distribute the positioning information to neighbouring cells.

It will also be appreciated that, although in the example of <FIG>, the same positioning information <NUM> is transmitted is transmitted from the anchor gNodeB 101C to each of other gNodeBs 101A and 101B, it may be the case that the anchor gNodeB transmits other respective positioning information to each of the gNodeBs 101A and 101B. In this case, the other respective positioning information may be based on the positioning information <NUM> received from the location server <NUM>, but may be adjusted depending on one or more characteristics of the gNodeBs 101A and 101B. For example, if one of the gNodeBs 101A and 101B is associated with a different validity area for the positioning information compared to that of the gNodeB 101C, then the gNodeB 101C (in particular, the controller <NUM> of the gNodeB 101C) may adjust the positioning information (e.g. adjust the values of the positioning information, based on a predetermined mathematical formula, lookup table or the like) such that it is valid for the different validity area of the gNodeB 101A or 101B. It will be appreciated that other characteristics resulting in different appropriate positioning information for different gNodeBs may also be taken into account by an anchor gNodeB in adjusting the positioning information prior to it being transmitted on to another gNodeB.

<FIG> schematically shows a method of operating the UE <NUM>, according to an embodiment. The method starts at step <NUM>. At step <NUM>, the controller <NUM> controls the receiver <NUM> to receive, from the base station <NUM>, a signal comprising positioning information for allowing a spatial position of the UE <NUM> to be determined using the positioning information and a predetermined positioning scheme associated with the positioning information, the positioning scheme comprising one or more of instructions and additional information for determining the position of the UE <NUM> using the positioning information, wherein the positioning information is comprised within a system information block (SIB) of the received signal. At step <NUM>, based on a characteristic of the SIB, a temporal validity of the received positioning information is determined by the controller <NUM>. At step <NUM>, at a time at which the received positioning information is temporally valid, the spatial position of the UE <NUM> is determined using the received positioning information and the predetermined positioning scheme. The process then ends at step <NUM>.

<FIG> schematically shows a method of operating the base station101, according to an embodiment. The method starts at step <NUM>. At step <NUM>, the controller <NUM> controls the transmitter <NUM> to transmit, to the UE <NUM>, a signal comprising positioning information for allowing a spatial position of the UE <NUM> to be determined using the positioning information and a predetermined positioning scheme associated with the positioning information, the positioning scheme comprising one or more of instructions and additional information for determining the position of the UE <NUM> using the positioning information. The positioning information is comprised within a system information block (SIB) of the transmitted signal, and the SIB is associated with a characteristic indicative to the UE <NUM> of a temporal validity of the received positioning information so as to allow the UE <NUM> to determine, at a time at which the received positioning information is temporally valid, the spatial position of the UE <NUM> using the received positioning information and the predetermined positioning scheme.

It will be appreciated that, in the embodiment in which multiple SIBs each comprise one or more types of positioning information sharing the same area validity and time validity, it may be the case that each of the multiple SIBs comprises one or more types of positioning information sharing the same area validity (but not necessarily the same time validity) or the same time validity (but not necessarily the same area validity). In the case of the former (that is, same area validity but not necessarily the same time validity), a time validity for each type of positioning information may be known in advance (e.g. pre-stored as data in the storage medium <NUM> of the UE <NUM>). In the case of the latter (that is, same time validity but not necessarily the same area validity), an area validity for each type of positioning information may be known in advance (e.g. pre-stored as data in the storage medium <NUM> of the UE <NUM>). In such examples, the UE <NUM> need only choose the SIB with the positioning information of the correct area validity or time validity (but not both).

In the case that each of the multiple SIBs comprises one or more types of positioning information sharing the same area validity only (that is, sharing the same geographical region over which each of the one or more types of positioning information is valid), the process carried out at the UE <NUM> is the same as that described with reference to <FIG>, with the following exceptions. Firstly, at step <NUM>, a geographical region over which the received positioning information is valid (rather than a temporal validity) is determined by the controller <NUM> based on a characteristic of the SIB (e.g. SIB type number - SIB-X). Secondly, at step <NUM>, the spatial position of the UE <NUM> is determined using the received positioning information and the predetermined positioning scheme only when the UE <NUM> is located within the geographical region over which the received positioning information is valid.

Similarly, in the case that each of the multiple SIBs comprises one or more types of positioning information sharing the same area validity only (that is, sharing the same geographical region over which each of the one or more types of positioning information is valid), the process carried out at the base station <NUM> is the same as that described with reference to <FIG>, with the exception that, at step <NUM>, the SIB comprising the positioning information is associated with a characteristic indicative to the UE <NUM> of a geographical region over which the received positioning information is valid so as to allow the UE <NUM> to determine, when the UE <NUM> is located within the geographical region over which the received positioning information is valid, the spatial position of the UE <NUM> using the received positioning information and the predetermined positioning scheme.

Claim 1:
A terminal device (<NUM>) for use with a wireless telecommunications network, the terminal device comprising:
receiver circuitry (<NUM>) configured to receive, from infrastructure equipment (<NUM>) of the wireless telecommunications network, a signal comprising positioning information for allowing a spatial position of the terminal device to be determined using the positioning information and a predetermined positioning scheme associated with the positioning information, the positioning scheme comprising one or more of instructions and additional information for determining the position of the terminal device using the positioning information, wherein the positioning information is comprised within a system information block, SIB, of the received signal; and
processing circuitry (<NUM>) configured:
to determine, based on a characteristic of the SIB, a temporal validity of the received positioning information, and
to determine, at a time at which the received positioning information is temporally valid, the spatial position of the terminal device using the received positioning information and the predetermined positioning scheme, wherein:
the positioning information is one of a plurality of types of positioning information, each type of positioning information being for determining a spatial position of the terminal device using a respective positioning scheme, the positioning scheme of each type of positioning information comprising one or more of instructions and additional information for determining the position of the terminal device using that type of positioning information, and each type of positioning information being associated with a respective temporal validity;
the SIB of the received signal is one of a plurality of SIBs receivable by the receiver circuitry, each of the plurality of receivable SIBs comprising one or more of the plurality of types of positioning information each of which are associated with the same temporal validity; and
the characteristic of the SIB of the received signal is an identifier which distinguishes the SIB of the received signal from each of the other receivable SIBs.