USER EQUIPMENT, RADIO ACCESS NETWORK NODE, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, AND METHOD OF DETERMINING A RELATIVE POSITION OF USER EQUIPMENTS

• US 20160183044A1
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Wei, Na, Berggren, Anders
• Granted Patent: US 10,694,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/10 between terminal device and access point, i.e. wireless air interface

Abstract

A user equipment (2) comprises a wireless interface (20) for communication with a cellular communication network. The wireless interface (20) is operative for a device-to-device transmission and/or a device-to-device reception in a position determining procedure in which a relative position of the user equipment (2) and at least one further user equipment (3, 4) is determined. The user equipment (2) is operative to communicate with a radio access network node (11) of the cellular communication network for network assistance in the position determining procedure.

Claims

1. A user equipment, comprising:

a wireless interface for communication with a cellular communication network,

the wireless interface being operative for a device-to-device transmission and/or a device-to-device reception in a position determining procedure in which a relative position of the user equipment and at least one further user equipment is determined,

the user equipment being operative to communicate with a radio access network node of the cellular communication network for network assistance in the position determining procedure.

2. The user equipment according to claim 1,

wherein the user equipment is operative to receive a message associated with the position determining procedure from the radio access network node.

3. The user equipment according to claim 2,

wherein the message is a broadcast message from the radio access network node or a signaling message from the radio access network node.

4. The user equipment according to claim 2,

wherein the message comprises at least one of

information on resources to be used for the device-to-device transmission and/or the device-to-device reception in the position determining procedure, and/or

information on a transmit power to be used for the device-to-device transmission in the position determining procedure.

5. The user equipment according to claim 2,

wherein the user equipment is operative to perform the device-to-device transmission and/or the device-to-device reception in the in position determining procedure in accordance with the message received from the from the radio access network node.

6. The user equipment according to claim 2,

wherein the user equipment is operative to receive device-to-device signaling messages or device-to-device communication messages from the at least one further user equipment in the position determining procedure, and

wherein the user equipment comprises a processing device, the processing device being operative to

process the received device-to-device signaling messages or device-to-device communication messages based on the message received from the radio access network node.

7. The user equipment according to claim 6,

wherein the processing device is operative to determine the relative position by processing the received device-to-device signaling messages or device-to-device communication messages based on the message received from the radio access network node.

8. The user equipment according to claim 2,

wherein the message received from the radio access network node comprises information on a resource and a configuration of a device-to-device positioning reference signal.

9. The user equipment according to claim 2,

wherein the user equipment is operative to request the radio access network node to transmit the message in dependence on a target precision of the position determining procedure.

10. The user equipment according to claim 1,

wherein the wireless interface is operative to receive device-to-device signaling messages or device-to-device communication messages from the at least one further user equipment in the position determining procedure, and

wherein the user equipment is operative to transmit a report message to the radio access network node, the report message being indicative of a measurement result obtained for the received device-to-device signaling messages or device-to-device communication messages and resources allocated thereto.

11. The user equipment according to claim 10,

wherein the user equipment is operative to receive information on the relative position from the radio access network node in response to transmitting the report message.

12. A radio access network node, comprising:

a wireless interface for communication with a user equipment, and

a control device coupled to the wireless interface, the control device being operative to assist the user equipment in a position determining procedure with a device-to-device transmission and/or device-to-device reception, wherein a relative position of the user equipment and at least one further user equipment are determined in the position determining procedure.

13. The radio access network node according to claim 12,

wherein the radio access network node is operative to transmit a message associated with the position determining procedure,

wherein the message comprises at least one of

information on resources to be used by the user equipment in the position determining procedure, and/or

information on a transmit power to be used in the position determining procedure.

14. The radio access network node according to claim 13,

wherein the message comprises information on a resource and configuration of a device-to-device positioning reference signal.

15. The radio access network node according to claim 13,

wherein the radio access network node is operative to generate the message in dependence on a target precision of the position determining procedure.

16. The radio access network node according to claim 12,

wherein the wireless interface is operative to receive a report message from the user equipment,

wherein the control device is operative to determine the relative position of the user equipment and the at least one further user equipment in response to receiving the report message.

17. The radio access network node according to claim 16,

wherein the radio access network node is operative to transmit information on the relative position to the user equipment in response to the report message.

18. A communication system, comprising

user equipment comprising a wireless interface for communication with a cellular communication network,

the wireless interface being operative for a device-to-device transmission and/or a device-to-device reception in a position determining procedure in which a relative position of the user equipment and at least one further user equipment is determined,

the user equipment being operative to communicate with a radio access network node of the cellular communication network for network assistance in the position determining procedure;

and

a radio access network node comprising a wireless interface for communication with a user equipment, and

a control device coupled to the wireless interface, the control device being operative to assist the user equipment in a position determining procedure for determining a relative position of the user equipment and at least one further user equipment.

19. A method of determining a relative position of a user equipment and at least one further user equipment, the method comprising

performing, via a wireless interface of the user equipment, a device-to-device transmission and/or a device-to-device reception in a position determining procedure for determining the relative position of the user equipment and the at least one further user equipment, and

communicating, via the wireless interface of the user equipment, with a radio access network node of a cellular communication network for obtaining network assistance in the position determining procedure.