Positioning node, user equipment and methods therein

• US 8,594,696 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2011
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Siomina, Iana
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US13/256,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20120083288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.2, 455/456, 455/73, 455/456.3, 455/456.1, 455/456.5, 455/450, 455/434, 455/456.4, 455/422.1, 455/501, 455/466, 455/404.2, 370/508, 370/252, 370/329, 370/338, 370/254, 342/357.42, 342/357.25, 342/357.43, 342/357.44
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Embodiments herein relate to a method in a positioning node for enabling positioning of a user equipment, which user equipment is served in a first cell controlled by a radio network node. The positioning node and radio network node are comprised in a radio communications network. The positioning node obtains an indication indicating availability, at the user equipment, of timing information of at least one cell. The positioning node further determines whether the timing information of the at least one cell is available at the user equipment based on the obtained indication, which timing information is enabling positioning of the user equipment.

Claims

1. A method in a positioning node for enabling positioning of a user equipment, which user equipment is served in a first cell controlled by a radio network node, which positioning node and radio network node are comprised in a radio communications network, the method comprising;

obtaining an indication indicating availability, at the user equipment, of timing information of at least one cell; and

determining whether the timing information of the at least one cell is available at the user equipment based on the obtained indication, which timing information is enabling positioning of the user equipment;

generating positioning assistance data, which positioning assistance data comprises information associated with the at least one cell;

transmitting a message to the user equipment, which message comprises the positioning assistance data, which positioning assistance data and the timing information of the at least one cell available at the user equipment enables positioning of the user equipment;

wherein the generated positioning assistance data comprises an indication of a reference cell and a list of neighbour cells and information regarding muting sequence of at least some of the cells.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises receiving the indication from the user equipment, the radio network node or a network node.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cell is either a serving cell for user equipment not configured for carrier aggregation or a cell belonging to a set of serving cells for the user equipment in a carrier aggregation system.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises identifying the at least one cell as a specific type of cell based on an identity of the at least one cell and the determining whether the timing information is available is performed by comparing the identity of the at least one cell with an identity, which identity indicates availability of the timing information.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

requesting information associated with availability of timing information of the at least one cell to obtain the indication.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generated positioning assistance data comprises an indication of a reference cell and a list of neighbour cells, where the at least one cell with the available timing information is at a pre-defined position in the list of neighbour cells and timing information of the reference cell is not known or the reference cell is not a cell serving the user equipment and not a primary cell for the user equipment if it is configured with carrier aggregation.

7. The method according to claim 1, where the at least one cell with the available timing information is comprised only in the list of neighbour cells in the positioning assistance data and information regarding muting sequence of another neighbour cell in the positioning assistance data is generated with respect to or relative to the information of the at least one cell.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generated positioning assistance data is Observed Time Difference of Arrival assistance data.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indication indicating the availability, at the user equipment, of timing information of at least one cell is of a type that is subsequently used in combination with other data to determine the positioning of the user equipment.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indication indicating the availability, at the user equipment, of timing information of at least one cell comprises at least one of the following:

(a) cell identification of a cell for which a sequence frame number (SFN) is known or reliable;

(b) an indication of whether the cell is a serving cell for which timing information is known;

(c) an indication of whether a serving cell is a femto cell;

(d) an indication of a cell being a particular type of cell.

11. The method in a user equipment for enabling positioning of the user equipment, which user equipment and a positioning node are comprised in a radio communications network, the method comprising;

transmitting, to the positioning node, an indication indicating availability, at the user equipment, of timing information of at least one cell, which timing information is enabling positioning of the user equipment;

receiving, from the positioning node, a message comprising positioning assistance data, which positioning assistance data comprises information associated with the at least one cell for which the timing information is known or is obtainable by the user equipment, which at least one cell is the cell indicated with the available timing information in the transmitted indication;

performing a positioning measurement using the positioning assistance data and the available timing information of the at least one cell to enable positioning of the user equipment; and

wherein the performing the positioning measurement comprises determining a timing of a muting sequence of another cell, being different than the at least one cell, in the positioning assistance data based on the timing information and information regarding the at least one cell in the received positioning assistance data.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the transmitted indication indicates the at least one cell as a specific type of cell, a serving cell, a primary cell, and/or a cell with a known subframe number.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one cell is either a serving cell for user equipment not configured for carrier aggregation or a cell belonging to a set of serving cells for the user equipment in a carrier aggregation system.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the transmitted indication is comprised in a positioning request or a request for positioning assistance data.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising

retrieving the timing information for the at least one cell, and

storing the timing information for a certain time period, and wherein the transmitted indication indicates that the timing information is available at the user equipment.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising

receiving a request of information associated with availability of the timing information of the at least one cell.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the received positioning assistance data comprises an indication of a reference cell and a list of neighbour cells, where the at least one cell with the available timing information is indicated by being at a pre-defined position in the list of neighbour cells and timing information of the reference cell is not known, or the reference cell is not a cell serving the user equipment and not a primary cell for the user equipment if it is configured with carrier aggregation.

18. A positioning node for enabling positioning of a user equipment, which user equipment is served in a first cell controlled by a radio network node, wherein the positioning node comprises;

an obtaining circuit configured to obtain an indication indicating availability, at the user equipment, of timing information of at least one cell; and

a determining circuit configured to determine whether the timing information of the at least one cell is available at the user equipment based on the obtained indication, which timing information is enabling positioning of the user equipment;

a generating circuit configured to generate, when determined that the timing information of the at least one cell is available at the user equipment, positioning assistance data, which positioning assistance data comprises information associated with the at least one cell;

wherein the generating circuit is configured to generate positioning assistance data that comprises an indication of a reference cell and a list of neighbour cells and information regarding muting sequence of at least some of the cells, and

a transmitting circuit configured to transmit a message to the user equipment, which message comprises the positioning assistance data, which positioning assistance data and the timing information of the at least one cell at the user equipment enables positioning of the user equipment.

19. The positioning node according to claim 18, wherein the obtaining circuit is configured to receive the indication from the user equipment, the radio network node or a network node.

20. The positioning node according to claim 18, wherein the at least one cell is either a serving cell for user equipment not configured for carrier aggregation or a cell belonging to a set of serving cells for the user equipment in a carrier aggregation system.

21. The positioning node according to claim 18, wherein the obtaining circuit is configured to identify the at least one cell as a specific type of cell based on an identity of the at least one cell and the determining circuit is configured to compare the identity of the at least one cell with an identity, which identity indicates availability of the timing information.

22. The positioning node according to claim 18, further comprising a requesting circuit configured to request information associated with availability of timing information of the at least one cell to obtain the indication.

23. The positioning node according to claim 18, wherein the generating circuit is configured to generate positioning assistance data that comprises an indication of a reference cell and a list of neighbour cells, where the at least one cell with the available timing information is at a pre-defined position in the list of neighbour cells and timing information of the reference cell is not known, or the reference cell is not a cell serving the user equipment and not a primary cell for the user equipment if it is configured with carrier aggregation.

24. The positioning node according to claim 18, wherein the at least one cell with the available timing information is comprised only in the list of neighbour cells in the positioning assistance data, and the generating circuit is further configured to add information regarding muting sequence of another neighbour cell in the positioning assistance data with respect to or relative to the information of the at least one cell.

25. The positioning node according to claim 18, wherein the generated positioning assistance data is Observed Time Difference of Arrival assistance data.

26. A user equipment for enabling positioning of the user equipment, which user equipment is configured to be served in a first cell controlled by a radio network node, the user equipment comprises:

a transmitter configured to transmit, to a positioning node in the radio communications network, an indication indicating availability, at the user equipment, of timing information of at least one cell, which timing information is enabling positioning of the user equipment;

a receiver receiving configured to receive, from the positioning node, a message comprising positioning assistance data, which positioning assistance data comprises information associated with the at least one cell for which the timing information is known or is obtainable by the user equipment, which at least one cell is the cell indicated with the available timing information in the transmitted indication, and

a performing circuit configured to perform a positioning measurement using the positioning assistance data and the available timing information of the at least one cell to enable positioning of the user equipment, and

wherein the performing circuit is configured to determine a timing of a muting sequence of another cell, being different than the at least one cell, in the positioning assistance data based on the timing information and information regarding the at least one cell in the received positioning assistance data.

27. The user equipment according to claim 26, wherein the transmitted indication comprises information of the at least one cell, which information indicates the at least one cell as a specific type of cell, a serving cell, a primary cell, and/or a cell with a known subframe number.

28. The user equipment according to claim 26, wherein the at least one cell is either a serving cell for user equipment not configured for carrier aggregation or a cell belonging to a set of serving cells for the user equipment in a carrier aggregation system.

29. The user equipment according to claim 26, wherein the transmitter is configured to comprise the indication in a positioning request or a request for positioning assistance data.

30. The user equipment according to claim 26, further comprising a retrieving circuit configured to retrieve the timing information for the at least one cell, and a memory configured to be used to store the timing information on for a certain time period, and wherein the transmitted indication indicates that the timing information is available at the user equipment.

31. The user equipment according to claim 26, further comprising a receiver configured to receive a request of information associated with availability of the timing information of the at least one cell.

32. The user equipment according to claim 26, wherein the received positioning assistance data comprises an indication of a reference cell and a list of neighbour cells, where the at least one cell with the available timing information is indicated by being at a pre-defined position in the list of neighbour cells and timing information of the reference cell is not known or the reference cell is not a cell serving the user equipment and not a primary cell for the user equipment.

33. A method in a positioning node comprising:

the positioning node obtaining an indication indicating availability, at a user equipment, of timing information of at least one cell;

in response to obtaining the indication the positioning node generating positioning assistance data comprising information associated with the at least one cell; and

positioning node transmitting the positioning assistance data to the user equipment to enable the user equipment to perform a positioning measurement using both (a) the indication indicating the availability, at the user equipment, of timing information of the at least one cell and (b) the positioning assistance data;

wherein the positioning assistance data comprises information regarding a muting sequence of a neighbour cell.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the indication indicating the availability, at the user equipment, of timing information of at least one cell comprises at least one of the following:

(a) cell identification of a cell for which a sequence frame number (SFN) is known or reliable;

(b) an indication of whether the cell is a serving cell for which timing information is known;

(c) an indication of whether a serving cell is a femto cell;

(d) an indication of a cell being a particular type of cell.