HK1232602B - Method and apparatus for supporting positioning for terminals in a wireless network - Google Patents

Description

Method and apparatus for supporting positioning of a terminal in a wireless network

This divisional application is a divisional application of the PCT national phase patent application with a PCT international application date of April 21, 2010, national application number 201080018163.2, and titled "Method and apparatus for supporting positioning of terminals in wireless networks."

I. Priority Claims Under 35 U.S.C. § 119

This patent application claims priority from the following provisional U.S. applications:

Application S/N. 61/171,398, entitled “LPP Generic Capabilities,” filed April 21, 2009,

Application S/N. 61/172,719, entitled “LPP Stage 2,” filed on April 25, 2009,

Application S/N. 61/218,929, entitled “LPP,” filed on June 20, 2009,

Application S/N. 61/234,282, entitled “LPP,” filed on August 15, 2009, and

Application S/N. 61/247,363, entitled “LPP,” filed on September 30, 2009,

All of the foregoing are assigned to the assignee of this application and are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

background

I. Field

The present disclosure relates generally to communications and, more particularly, to techniques for supporting positioning of terminals in wireless networks.

II. Background

It is often desirable, and sometimes necessary, to know the location of a terminal, such as a cellular telephone. The terms "positioning" and "location" are used synonymously herein and interchangeably. For example, a location services (LCS) client may desire to know the location of a terminal and may communicate with a network server to request a location estimate for the terminal. The network server and the terminal may then exchange messages as needed to obtain a location estimate for the terminal. The network server may then return the location estimate to the LCS client.

Different terminals may operate in different scenarios and may have different capabilities in terms of positioning. Positioning refers to the function of determining the geographic location of a target terminal. It may be desirable to flexibly support positioning for terminals with different capabilities.

Overview

Techniques for supporting positioning of terminals in a wireless network are described herein. In one aspect, positioning may be supported by a location server that can reside in different entities. In one design, the location server may obtain positioning information (e.g., measurements, coarse positioning estimates, etc.) about a target device via a common positioning protocol. The location server may reside in a network entity or may be co-located with the target device (e.g., may be part of the target device). Regardless of where the location server resides, it may use the common positioning protocol and may communicate with other entities via the common positioning protocol. The location server may determine location information (e.g., assistance data, position estimates, etc.) about the target device based on this positioning information.

In another aspect, positioning can be supported by transmitting multiple positioning messages together, which can improve efficiency and reduce latency. In one design, an entity (e.g., a location server, a positioning unit, or a target device) can exchange (e.g., send or receive) multiple positioning messages transmitted together in a message transaction. The multiple positioning messages can be sent as linked messages or in a single container message. The entity can perform positioning based on the multiple positioning messages.

In yet another aspect, positioning can be supported by transmitting positioning messages that include multiple parts defined by different organizations. In one design, entities can exchange positioning messages that include a first part and a second part for a specific transaction type. The first part can include first information for positioning defined by a first organization, and the second part can include second information for positioning defined by a second organization. The entity can perform positioning based on the positioning message. For example, the entity can determine a position estimate based on first information (e.g., measurements) in the first part and second information (e.g., more measurements, or a coarse position estimate) in the second part.

In yet another aspect, positioning may be supported using shared measurement data units and/or shared assistance data units applicable to different positioning methods. In one design, an entity may exchange measurement data units applicable to a first plurality of positioning methods. Each positioning method in the first plurality of positioning methods may be associated with a different set of applicable measurement data units. The entity may perform positioning based on the exchanged measurement data units and in accordance with a positioning method, which may be one of the first plurality of positioning methods. Alternatively or additionally, the entity may exchange assistance data units applicable to a second plurality of positioning methods. Each positioning method in the second plurality of positioning methods may be associated with a different set of applicable assistance data units. The entity may perform positioning based on the exchanged assistance data units and in accordance with a positioning method, which may be one of the second plurality of positioning methods.

Various aspects and features of the disclosure are described in greater detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 shows a diagram of an exemplary deployment supporting positioning.

FIG. 2A shows a configuration supporting both a terminal-assisted positioning method and a terminal-based positioning method.

FIG. 2B illustrates a configuration supporting a network-based positioning method.

2C and 2D illustrate two configurations that support peer positioning.

FIG3 shows the hierarchical structure of the positioning protocol.

FIG4A shows the design of a positioning message.

FIG4B shows a design of a locate message having multiple parts defined by different organizations.

FIG5 shows the message flow of the mobile-initiated location request service.

FIG6 shows the message flow of a location session with multiple transactions.

7 to 11 illustrate various processes for supporting positioning.

FIG12 shows a block diagram of a target device, a base station, and a location server.

Detailed description

FIG1 shows an illustration of an exemplary deployment 100 that supports positioning. A target device (TD) 110 is an entity whose location is to be determined. The target device 110 can be stationary or mobile and may also be referred to as a terminal, a mobile station, a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a SUPL-enabled terminal (SET) from the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Secure User Plane Location (SUPL), a subscriber unit, a station, or the like. The target device 110 may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless device, a wireless modem, a wireless router, a laptop computer, a telemetry device, a tracking device, or the like. The target device 110 may communicate with one or more base stations in a wireless network. The target device 110 may also communicate peer-to-peer with other terminals.

Reference source (RS) 140 is an entity that transmits a signal (e.g., a radio signal) that can be measured to support positioning. Reference source 140 can be a satellite in a satellite positioning system (SPS), which can be the US Global Positioning System (GPS), the European Galileo system, the Russian GLONASS system, or some other SPS. Reference source 140 can also be a base station in a wireless network. A base station can also be referred to as an access point, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), etc. The wireless network can be a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) network, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) access network, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, a CDMA 1X network, a High Rate Packet Data (HRPD) network, an Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) network, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc. GSM, WCDMA, GPRS, and LTE are different radio technologies defined by an organization called the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). CDMA 1X, HRPD, and UMB are different radio technologies defined by an organization called the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2). Reference source 140 may also be a broadcast station in a broadcast network, which may be a television network, a digital radio network, or the like. Reference source 140 may be part of a terminal, such as target device 110. Generally, one or more signals from one or more reference sources may be measured to determine the location of target device 110. For simplicity, only one reference source 140 is shown in FIG1 . The location of the reference source may be known or can be ascertained and may be used to locate target device 110.

Positioning unit (PU) 120 is an entity that can measure signals from one or more reference sources, such as reference source 140. Positioning unit 120 may also be able to calculate a position estimate for target device 110 based on the measurements obtained by positioning unit 120. Positioning unit 120 can be part of target device 110, or a separate device, or part of some other entity. This other entity can be another terminal in the wireless network, a base station, a dedicated location measurement unit (LMU), etc.

Location server (LS) 130 is an entity capable of receiving positioning messages regarding a target device and determining the target device's location information. Generally speaking, positioning information can be any information used to support positioning. For example, positioning information can include measurements, a coarse location estimate, and the like. Position information can be any information related to the target device's location. For example, position information can include assistance data used to make measurements of positioning signals, a final position estimate for the target device, and the like. Location server 130 can communicate with positioning unit 120, receive positioning information from positioning unit 120, and provide position information (e.g., assistance data) to positioning unit 120. Location server 130 can also calculate a position estimate for target device 110 based on the measurements received from positioning unit 120 and provide the position estimate to positioning unit 120. Location server 130 can reside in any of a number of entities. For example, location server 130 can be a serving mobile location center (SMLC), a standalone SMLC (SAS), an evolved SMLC (E-SMLC), a SUPL location platform (SLP), a position determination entity (PDE), and the like. The location server 130 may also be part of a terminal, such as the target device 110. In one design, the location server 130 may communicate with other entities (e.g., the positioning unit 120) via a common positioning protocol, regardless of where the location server 130 resides. The common positioning protocol may be the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) used in LTE or some other positioning protocol.

FIG1 illustrates four ubiquitous entities that can support positioning of a target device 110. The entities shown in FIG1 can support various configurations. In one design, the target device 110 and the positioning unit 120 can be co-located. In this design, the target device 110 can measure one or more signals from one or more reference sources to locate the target device 110. In another design, the target device 110 and the reference source 140 can be co-located. In this design, the target device 110 can transmit signals that can be measured and used to locate the target device. In yet another design, the target device 110 can be co-located with a location server 130. In this design, the target device 110 can receive measurements from the positioning unit 120 and can perform positioning of the target device 110 based on these measurements. In general, the target device 110 can support the positioning unit 120 and/or the reference source 140 to measure other signals or have its own signals measured. The entities shown in FIG1 can also support other configurations. For example, the positioning unit 120 and the location server 130 can be co-located. As another example, reference source 140 and location server 130 may be co-located.

FIG2A illustrates a configuration that supports both terminal-assisted and terminal-based positioning methods. In this configuration, positioning unit 120 is co-located with target device 110. Positioning unit 120 may measure signals from reference sources such as satellites 140a, base stations 140b, and the like. Positioning unit 120 may send measurements and/or other information (e.g., a coarse or fine position estimate) to location server 130. Location server 130 may determine location information (e.g., assistance data) and may send this location information to positioning unit 120 (e.g., to assist positioning unit 120 in measuring signals and potentially obtaining a location estimate). Location server 130 may also determine a location estimate for target device 110 based on the measurements and/or other information received from positioning unit 120. Location server 130 may forward this location estimate to an external client (not shown in FIG2A ) and/or to target device 110. The configuration in Figure 2A can be used for terminal-assisted positioning methods and terminal-based positioning methods, such as assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), observed time difference (OTD), enhanced observed time difference (E-OTD), observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA), advanced forward link trilateration (A-FLT), etc.

FIG2B illustrates a configuration that supports a network-based positioning method. In this configuration, reference source 140 is co-located with target device 110, while positioning unit 120 is external to target device 110. Positioning unit 120 may measure signals from target device 110. Positioning unit 120 may also receive measurements made by target device 110 for other reference sources (not shown in FIG2B ). The measurements from target device 110 may be used to support the handover of target device 110 and/or for other purposes. Positioning unit 120 may send these measurements and/or other information to location server 130. Location server 130 may determine location information (e.g., assistance data) and may send this location information to positioning unit 120 (e.g., to assist positioning unit 120 in measuring signals from reference source 140). Location server 130 may also determine a location estimate for target device 110 based on the measurements and/or other information received from positioning unit 120. Location server 130 may forward the location estimate to an external client (not shown in FIG2B ) and/or to target device 110. The configuration of FIG2B may be used for network-based positioning methods such as enhanced cell identity (E-CID), uplink time difference of arrival (U-TDOA), and the like.

2A and 2B illustrate one positioning unit 120 and one or more reference sources 140. In general, any number of positioning units may measure signals from any number of reference sources and may send their measurements to the location server 130. The target device 110 may act as a reference source for some measurements and/or as a positioning unit for other measurements.

2A and 2B illustrate two configurations that support non-peer-to-peer (P2P) positioning. Non-P2P positioning can occur when reference source 140, positioning unit 120, and location server 130 are not co-located with (e.g., not part of) any terminal that is not target device 110. For non-P2P positioning, location server 130 can be a network entity or part of target device 110, positioning unit 120 can be either part of target device 110 or part of a network entity, and reference source 140 can be either part of target device 110 or part of an external entity (e.g., a satellite, base station, broadcast station, etc.).

In one design, the entities shown in FIG1 may support P2P positioning. P2P positioning may occur when a first terminal assumes the role of location server 130, positioning unit 120, reference source 140, or any combination thereof to help locate a second terminal that assumes the role of target device 110. Different types of P2P positioning may be supported depending on where location server 130, positioning unit 120, and reference source 140 reside, or whether the first or second terminal assumes the role of each of the location server, positioning unit, and reference source.

FIG2C illustrates a configuration that supports P2P positioning. In this configuration, first terminal 102 is the target device 110 and also serves as location server 130 and reference source 140. Second terminal 104 communicates peer-to-peer with first terminal 102 and serves as positioning unit 120. Positioning unit 120 in terminal 104 can measure signals from reference source 140 in terminal 102 and send the measurements and possibly other information to location server 130 in terminal 102. Location server 130 can determine location information (e.g., assistance data) and send the location information to positioning unit 120 (e.g., to assist positioning unit 120 in measuring signals from reference source 140). Location server 130 can also determine a location estimate for target device 110 based on the measurements and/or other information received from positioning unit 120. Location server 130 can forward the location estimate to an external client (not shown in FIG2C ) and/or pass the location estimate to an entity (e.g., an application) in target device 110.

For simplicity, FIG2C shows terminal 102 communicating with one peer terminal 104. In general, terminal 102 can communicate with any number of peer terminals and can request measurements from one or more peer terminals. Each peer terminal can act as a positioning unit and can measure signals from terminal 102. Each peer terminal can send the measurements and its own position to terminal 102. The position of terminal 102 can be determined based on the measurements from all peer terminals and their reported positions.

FIG2D illustrates another configuration that supports P2P positioning. In this configuration, a first terminal 106 is a target device 110 and also serves as a positioning unit 120 and a location server 130. A second terminal 108 communicates peer-to-peer with the first terminal 106 and serves as a reference source 140. The positioning unit 120 in the terminal 106 can measure signals from the reference source 140 in the terminal 108 and can send the measurements and/or other information to the location server 130 in the terminal 106. The location server 130 can also receive the location of the terminal 108. The location server 130 can determine location information (e.g., assistance data) and can pass the location information to the positioning unit 120 in the terminal 108 (e.g., to assist the positioning unit 120 in measuring signals from the reference source 140). The location server 130 can also determine a location estimate for the target device 110 based on the measurements and/or other information received from the positioning unit 120. Location server 130 may forward the location estimate to an external client (not shown in FIG. 2D ) and/or communicate the location estimate to an entity (eg, an application) within target device 110 .

For simplicity, FIG2D shows terminal 106 communicating with one peer terminal 108. In general, terminal 106 can communicate with any number of peer terminals and can make measurements on one or more of the peer terminals. Each peer terminal can serve as a reference source whose signals can be measured by terminal 106. Each peer terminal can send its own location to terminal 106. The location of terminal 106 can be determined based on the measurements of all peer terminals and their reported locations.

For P2P positioning, different terminals can play the roles of positioning unit 120 and location server 130. To avoid ambiguity, the terminal initiating the positioning transaction can specify which end/terminal of the transaction will play the roles of location server and positioning unit. Each terminal can then play the role specified by the initiating terminal.

P2P positioning can be used to locate terminals as described above. P2P positioning can also be used to help locate access points for femtocells, which may also be referred to as Home NodeBs (HNBs), Home eNBs (HeNBs), etc. In this case, access points can be treated like terminals.

In one design, a pervasive positioning method (GPM) may be used to support positioning of a target device. A pervasive positioning method is a method that uses the same type of measurement and position calculation procedures to support positioning of a target device with different types of reference sources.

Table 1 lists some of the supported ubiquitous positioning methods and provides a brief description of each ubiquitous positioning method.

Table 1 – Ubiquitous positioning methods

One or more of the ubiquitous positioning methods listed in Table 1 may also include detecting the presence of a specific reference source without measuring the signal from the reference source, thereby supporting cell ID-based or WLAN-based positioning. A combination of ubiquitous positioning methods may also be used for positioning, for example, to improve accuracy.

In one design, a set of positioning method classes (PMCs) may be defined. The PMCs may include a set of positioning methods defined by applying one or more universal positioning methods to a given type of reference source. Different types of reference sources may be used for positioning and may include LTE eNBs, LTE-capable terminals, CDMA 1X base stations, 1X-capable terminals, etc. For a given type of reference source, one or more specific positioning methods may be defined by applying one or more universal positioning methods to that reference source. For example, A-GPS may be obtained by applying downlink time difference-based GPM to a GPS reference source, U-TDOA may be obtained by applying uplink time difference-based GPM to a GSM reference source, E-CID may be obtained by applying direction-based GPM and/or RF pattern matching GPM to an LTE reference source, and so on.

Each PMC may include one or more positioning methods. The positioning methods in each PMC may be related because they use measurements of the same type of reference source. These measurements may overlap, and the same measurement may be useful for different positioning methods within the PMC. The assistance data used to implement measurements and/or position calculations for positioning methods in the same PMC may also overlap (for example, if the measurements also overlap). Overlapping measurements and assistance data can be used to more efficiently support several positioning methods within a PMC by using a streamlined set of measurements and assistance data. For example, measurements and assistance data applied to multiple positioning methods may be delivered only once rather than for each positioning method.

FIG3 illustrates a hierarchical structure 300 of a positioning protocol that may be used by the location server 130. The positioning protocol may support a set of PMCs that may be defined for different types of reference sources as described above. Each PMC may include a set of one or more positioning methods defined for a particular type of reference source. For example, an A-GNSS PMC may include A-GPS and A-Galileo positioning methods, a downlink LTE PMC may include OTDOA and E-CID positioning methods, an uplink LTE PMC may include an E-CID positioning method, and so on. Other PMCs may be defined for downlink WCDMA, uplink WCDMA, downlink CDMA 1X, uplink CDMA 1X, downlink WiMAX, uplink WiMAX, 802.11 Wi-Fi, sensors, and the like.

A positioning method (PM) can be used to determine the location of a target device and can be associated with a specific ubiquitous positioning method and/or a specific reference source type. Each positioning method may support all or a subset of all measurement and assistance data applicable to its PM. The measurement and assistance data sets supported by a given positioning method may be mandatory, optional, or conditional for any positioning unit or location server that supports that positioning method.

A positioning unit or location server supporting a given PMC may support at least one positioning method in that PMC. A positioning unit or location server supporting a given positioning method may support all mandatory (and possibly also optional and/or conditional) measurements and assistance data for that positioning method.

In one design, a set of measurement data units (MDUs) may be defined for all supported positioning methods. An MDU may be a collection of one or more data items that may be used to report measurements and their attributes. An MDU may be applicable to one or more positioning methods within a particular PMC. An MDU may be applicable to multiple positioning methods and may be efficiently sent once to provide measurement data to these positioning methods (rather than separately for each positioning method). For example, MDU 2 in FIG3 may be applicable to positioning methods PMa and PMb and may be sent once to be used by both positioning methods. An MDU may be applicable to one reference source and may be repeated for multiple reference sources of the same type, e.g., to provide or request pseudoranges for multiple satellites, time base differences for multiple base stations, and so on.

The MDU can enable the capabilities of the location server and positioning unit to be defined, for example, in terms of which MDUs the location server or positioning unit supports. The MDU can also enable the location server 130/positioning unit 120 to request/provide measurement data in a flexible and precise manner. The location server 130 can indicate certain characteristics of the MDU (e.g., accuracy and response time) when requesting the MDU from the positioning unit 120. The positioning unit 120 can indicate (e.g., via its capabilities) the characteristics of the MDU (e.g., accuracy) that it can provide.

In one design, a set of assistance data units (ADUs) may be defined for all supported positioning methods. An ADU may be a collection of one or more data items that may be used to assist in measurements. An ADU may be applicable to one or more positioning methods within a particular PMC. An ADU may be applicable to multiple positioning methods and may be efficiently sent once to provide assistance data to these positioning methods (rather than separately for each positioning method). For example, ADU d in FIG3 may be applicable to positioning methods PMd and PMe and may be sent once to be used by both positioning methods. An ADU may be applicable to one reference source and may be repeated for multiple reference sources of the same type, for example, to provide or request ephemeris data for multiple satellites within the same SPS, real time differences (RTDs) for multiple base stations of the same access type, and so on.

The ADU can enable the capabilities of the location server and positioning unit to be defined, for example, in terms of which ADUs the location server or positioning unit supports. The ADU can also enable the positioning unit 120/location server 130 to request/provide assistance data in a flexible and precise manner. The positioning unit 120 can indicate certain characteristics of the ADU (e.g., the age or accuracy of the GPS ephemeris data) when requesting the ADU from the location server 130.

In one design, PMCs, positioning methods, MDUs, and/or ADUs can be individually identified. This identification can facilitate the request and provision of capabilities, specific measurements, and specific assistance data. Identification can also be useful for identifying the presence of a specific MDU or ADU in a positioning message, identifying message segments associated with a specific positioning method or PMC, and so on. The identity of a PMC can be unique across the positioning protocol, while the identities of positioning methods, MDUs, and ADUs can be unique only to a specific PMC. Different ID ranges can be used for identification. For example, PMC ID 0 can be reserved for possible future signaling applicable to all PMCs, PMC IDs 1 to 63 can be used for network-based (uplink) PMCs, PMC IDs 64 to 127 can be used for terminal-assisted and terminal-based (downlink) PMCs, PMC IDs 128 to 191 can be used for operator-specific positioning methods, PMC IDs 192 to 254 can be used for vendor-specific positioning methods, and PMC ID 255 can be used to indicate PMC IDs greater than 255 where necessary. In general, IDs may be defined for PMCs, positioning methods, MDUs, and/or ADUs in any suitable manner.

In one design, a calibration PMC can be used to provide calibration data for one or more reference sources to a location server. The calibration data can be used for (i) signal timing and/or signal strength of base stations, access points, and/or other reference sources, (ii) timing and navigation data of a GNSS system, and/or (iii) other signals and data. The calibration data can be used by the location server to obtain assistance data, which can later be provided to a positioning unit to assist it in making measurements to locate a target device. As an example, calibration data including transmission timing differences between nearby base stations can be used by the location server to derive assistance data for downlink time difference positioning methods such as OTDOA (e.g., including the approximate time difference between nearby base stations that a target device would expect to measure). Such assistance data can later be sent to a positioning unit co-located with the target device. The calibration PMC (or calibration positioning method) can support the corresponding normal PMC (or normal positioning method) as described in the above examples by helping to obtain assistance data for the normal PMC (or normal positioning method) and by helping any positioning method in the normal PMC calculate a position estimate. For example, the calibration PMC for inter-eNB timing measurements can support downlink LTE PMC including OTDOA and E-CID positioning methods.

Using the calibration PMC as part of a common positioning protocol that also supports the normal PMC allows the common positioning protocol to be used to calibrate the reference source and thereby avoids the need for an additional protocol for this purpose. The calibration PMC may not directly support any positioning method, any ADU, and positioning of the target device. The calibration PMC may support the MDU, which may be provided by a positioning unit (e.g., a base station or LMU) for the reference source applicable to the corresponding normal PMC. The MDU may be used by a location server to help obtain the ADU for the corresponding normal PMC and to help the positioning method in the corresponding normal PMC calculate a position estimate.

In one design, location server 130 and target device 110 (or location server 130 and positioning unit 120) may engage in a location session to obtain measurements or a position, provide assistance data, and/or for other purposes. A location session may also be referred to as an LPP session, a positioning session, etc. A location session may include one or more transactions, which may also be referred to as LPP transactions, etc. Each transaction may cover specific operations, such as the exchange of capabilities, the transfer of assistance data, the transfer of location information, etc. Each transaction may be assigned a transaction ID, and all messages related to the transaction may include the transaction ID to link the messages to the same transaction.

In one design, a set of positioning messages may be defined and used for communication between the location server and other entities. Positioning messages may also be referred to as LPP messages, LPP protocol data units (PDUs), etc.

FIG4A illustrates a design of a positioning message 400. In this design, positioning message 400 includes a positioning protocol version field 410, a transaction ID field 412, a transaction end flag field 414, a message type field 416, and N information elements 420a through 420n, where N can be 0 or greater. Field 410 can indicate which version of the positioning protocol to use for the location session and can be included to facilitate negotiation for the use of the same positioning protocol version by both entities engaged in the location session. The originating entity can set field 410 to the highest version it supports. The receiving entity can return the highest version it supports. The negotiated version can be the lower of the two highest versions supported by both entities.

Field 412 may identify the transaction to which the positioning message applies. Field 412 may be particularly relevant when multiple transactions occur concurrently during a location session. Each transaction may be assigned a unique transaction ID. In one design, an originating entity that initiates a transaction may assign a transaction ID to the transaction. A responding entity may use the same transaction ID when responding to the originating entity. For example, location server 130 may assign a transaction ID to a transaction initiated by location server 130, and positioning unit 120 may assign a transaction ID to a transaction initiated by positioning unit 120. When more than one location server is used to locate target device 110, each location server may be assigned a different range of transaction IDs that can be assigned by the location server.

Field 414 may indicate whether the sending entity has terminated the transaction. Field 416 may indicate the type of message being sent. A set of message types may be supported as described below, and the locate message 400 may be of the type indicated by field 416.

Fields 420a through 420n may include information that may depend on the message type. Each field 420 may carry a positioning data component (PDC) for one PMC or positioning method. Positioning message 400 may include multiple PDCs to efficiently carry information for more than one PMC at a time and to enable combined/hybrid positioning.

The positioning message may also include different fields and/or other fields in addition to the fields shown in Figure 4 A. For example, the positioning message may include a field for a session ID, a field to indicate whether the sender is acting as a location server or a positioning unit, etc.

Table 2 lists a set of positioning message types that may be supported according to one design.

Table 2 – Positioning message types

Message Type describe Request Capabilities Message used to request an entity's positioning protocol and positioning method capabilities. Provide capabilities Message used to provide the capabilities of an entity's positioning protocols and positioning methods. Requesting auxiliary data Message used to request assistance data. Provide auxiliary data Message used to provide assistance data. Request location information Message used to request location information. Provide location information Messages that provide location information.

The location server 130 may provide its capabilities upon request from the positioning unit 120 or may unilaterally transmit its capabilities without receiving any request. Similarly, the positioning unit 120 may provide its capabilities upon request from the location server 130 or may unilaterally transmit its capabilities without receiving any request. The capabilities of an entity (e.g., the location server 130 or the positioning unit 120) may include the PMCs and positioning methods supported by the entity, as well as the capabilities of the entity for each supported positioning method (e.g., a list of MDUs that the entity can send or receive and/or a list of ADUs that the entity can send or receive).

Location server 130 may provide assistance data upon request by positioning unit 120 or may unilaterally send assistance data without receiving any request. The assistance data may assist positioning unit 120 in making measurements that can be used for positioning target device 110 or for calibration of reference source 140. Location server 130 may also provide assistance data when the assistance data changes with an ongoing positioning method. This automatic updating of assistance data allows the positioning method to be reset without having to explicitly abort or restart. For example, target device 110 may change serving cells during an OTDOA positioning method (e.g., due to handover), and location server 130 may send new assistance data appropriate for the new serving cell to enable positioning unit 120 (in target device 110) to obtain and communicate measurements of different neighbor base stations associated with the new serving cell. As another example, positioning unit 120 (e.g., LMU) may measure data and/or signaling channels transmitted by target device 110 in a particular serving cell for U-TDOA positioning, and target device 110 may change serving cells (e.g., due to handover). The location server 130 may then send new assistance data to the positioning unit 120 to enable it to measure the different data and/or signaling channels associated with the new serving cell.It may be useful to have automatic updates in these scenarios.

The positioning unit 120 may send positioning information to the location server 130 to support positioning of the target device 110 (e.g., for normal PMC) or to determine assistance data for future positioning (e.g., for calibrating PMC). The positioning information may include (i) measurements made by the positioning unit 120 within the target device 110 of other reference sources (e.g., as shown in FIG2A ), (ii) measurements made by the positioning unit 120 external to the target device 110 of the reference source 140 in the target device 110 (e.g., as shown in FIG2B ), (iii) a position estimate of the target device 110 obtained by the positioning unit 120, and/or (iv) other information related to the position of the target device 110. The location server 130 may send the positioning information including the position estimate of the target device 110 to the positioning unit 120—for example, if the positioning unit 120 is part of the target device 110 and the target device 110 is the intended ultimate recipient of the position estimate. For calibration of reference sources, positioning information may include measurements made by positioning unit 120 of network-based reference sources (eg, base stations) and other sources (eg, satellites).

A positioning message may also include fields for common parameters applicable to all PMCs supported by the positioning message. Common parameters for both request-capabilities and provide-capabilities messages may include a list of supported PMC IDs, PMC versions, and the like. Common parameters for a request-assistance-data message may include the target device's approximate location, an indication of whether periodic or triggered assistance data is requested and associated parameters, primary access (e.g., serving cell ID), secondary access (e.g., neighbor cell ID), and the like. Common parameters for a provide-assistance-data message may include the target device's approximate location, the current time, and the like. Common parameters for a request-location-information message may include the required quality of service (QoS) (e.g., for location, measurement accuracy, and/or response time), an indication of whether periodic or triggered location information is requested and associated parameters, the location type for terminal-assisted and/or terminal-based positioning methods, a list of required or preferred PMC IDs and PMC versions, and the like. Common parameters for a provide-location-information message may include location estimate and accuracy, time, rate, and the like.

FIG4B illustrates a design of a positioning message 450 that includes multiple parts defined by different organizations. Positioning message 450 may include a positioning protocol version field, a transaction ID field, a transaction end flag field, a message type field, and N information elements, as described above for FIG4A . In one design, one part may be sent in each information element. For example, a first part may include first information for positioning defined by a first organization, a second part may include second information for positioning defined by a second organization, and so on. The organizations may be 3GPP, 3GPP2, OMA, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), network operators, equipment vendors, and the like. These multiple parts may be specific to specific transaction types, such as capability transfer, assistance data transfer, location information transfer, and the like. This design may allow external organizations to enhance existing positioning methods or support new positioning methods by defining additional capabilities that may be carried in one or more additional parts of the positioning message.

In one design, several related transactions may be invoked in parallel. For example, positioning unit 120 may be co-located with target device 110 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 2A ) and may request its own location from location server 130, request assistance data from location server 130, and provide its capabilities to location server 130 to enable location server 130 to obtain its location. As another example, positioning unit 120 may be co-located with target device 110 and may request its own location from location server 130 and may provide measurements for one or more positioning methods (e.g., E-CID and/or A-GNSS) to location server 130 to enable location server 130 to derive a position estimate. The messages sent by positioning unit 120 to location server 130 in the above two examples may also be combined. As yet another example, location server 130 may request positioning information from positioning unit 120, which may be co-located with target device 110, and may provide assistance data to positioning unit 120 to assist in obtaining the positioning information.

In one design, multiple locate messages related to multiple transactions can be transmitted together in a single message transaction/exchange. In one design, a single container message can include the multiple locate messages. For example, the container message can be a predefined locate message that can carry multiple locate messages within multiple information elements—one information element for each individual locate message. In another design, the multiple locate messages can be linked and sent separately, either serially or in parallel. A common identifier can be included in each message to enable correlation of the separate messages at the receiving entity. The multiple locate messages can also be transmitted together in other ways. The format and content of each locate message can be independent of whether the locate message is sent alone or with other locate messages.

A sending entity may send a container message that includes multiple locate messages related to multiple transactions. A receiving entity may generate individual replies for the multiple transactions and may use the correlation of the multiple locate messages to provide a more appropriate response, for example by utilizing information contained in all received locate messages to generate a reply to each received message. The receiving entity may return a container message that includes the multiple locate messages related to the individual replies. Transmitting multiple locate messages together may provide various advantages, such as (i) reducing latency and avoiding problems caused by out-of-order delivery of locate messages if they are sent separately, and (ii) ensuring that the receiving entity has the maximum information needed to process and reply to each received message.

FIG5 illustrates a message flow 500 for a Mobile Originated Location Request (MO-LR) service in LTE. An LCS client in a UE 510 or a user of the UE 510 may request location services, for example, to retrieve the location of the UE 510 or to communicate the UE location to a third party. The UE 510 may send a MO-LR request message to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 540 via a serving eNB 520 (step 1). The MO-LR request message may be used as a container message to carry one or more positioning messages used to initiate one or more procedures. For example, the MO-LR request message may include a positioning message for providing capabilities of the UE 510, a positioning message for requesting assistance data, a positioning message for providing measurements, and the like. The MME 540 may send a Location Request message to the E-SMLC 530 (step 2). The Location Request message may include any positioning messages received by the MME 540 in step 1.

E-SMLC 530 and UE 510 may engage in a location session and may perform one or more transactions (step 3). For this location session, UE 510 may be the target device and positioning unit, and E-SMLC 530 may be the location server. E-SMLC 530 may initiate one or more transactions to obtain positioning capabilities for UE 510, provide assistance data to UE 510, and/or obtain positioning information from UE 510. After receiving the first positioning message from E-SMLC 530, UE 510 may initiate one or more transactions to request assistance data, request further assistance data, and so on.

E-SMLC 530 and eNB 520 may engage in a location session and may perform one or more transactions (step 4). For this location session, eNB 520 may be a positioning unit and E-SMLC 530 may be a location server. E-SMLC 530 may obtain positioning information about UE 510 from eNB 520 via the location session. Steps 3 and 4 may occur in any order or in parallel. E-SMLC 530 may return a location response message to MME 540 (step 5). The location response message may include any position estimates obtained from steps 3 and 4 and/or a final positioning message—if UE 510 requested a position estimate in step 1, the final positioning message may provide a position estimate. If UE 510 requested that the position be transferred to a third party, MME 540 may transfer the position estimate received from E-SMLC 530 to the third party (step 6). MME 540 may send a MO-LR response message to UE 510 that may carry any final positioning message and/or separate position estimate received in step 5 (step 7).

For control plane location solutions, a network entity (e.g., MME 540) may need to request location services from a location server (e.g., E-SMLC 530) before a location session can occur. For MO-LR services, a target device (e.g., UE 510) may first send a MO-LR request message to the network entity to request location services. The target device may then wait for a response from the network entity and may thereafter send a first positioning message to the location server. This additional delay can be avoided by having the target device include the first positioning message in the MO-LR request message sent to the network entity. The network entity may then pass this first positioning message to the location server in the location request message. Subsequent positioning messages can be sent more directly between the target device and the location server, without utilizing the non-access stratum (NAS) layer to which the MO-LR request message belongs. The final positioning message from the location server can be sent directly to the target device or via a MO-LR response message, which can reduce the total number of messages to be transmitted.

FIG6 illustrates a message flow 600 for a location session with multiple transactions. Message flow 600 may be used for the location session in step 3 and/or the location session in step 4 of FIG5 . Target device 110 may send a MO-LR request message to location server 130 (step 1). The MO-LR request message may carry one or more positioning messages for initiating one or more procedures. The positioning message may include the required QoS, whether triggered or periodic positioning is requested, and/or other information. If the positioning capabilities of target device 110 are not received in step 1, location server 130 may send a positioning message to request the positioning capabilities of target device 110 (step 2). Target device 110 may return a positioning message with its positioning capabilities (e.g., supported positioning methods) (step 3).

Location server 130 may send a positioning message to request positioning information, such as positioning-related measurements for a positioning method supported by target device 110 (step 4). Target device 110 may send a positioning message to request assistance data (step 5). Location server 130 may return a positioning message with the requested assistance data (step 6). Location server 130 may also send one or more subsequent positioning messages with updated assistance data, for example, when triggered by a change or at periodic intervals (not shown in FIG. 6 ). Target device 110 may obtain positioning information (e.g., measurements) and may send a positioning message with the positioning information (step 7). Target device 110 may also send one or more subsequent positioning messages with updated location information, for example, when triggered by a change or at periodic intervals (not shown in FIG. 6 ). Location server 130 may also use the positioning information received in step 7 to calculate a position estimate for target device 110. Location server 130 may then send an MO-LR response message to target device 110, which may include a positioning message and/or a position estimate (step 8). The location server 130 may also send one or more subsequent positioning messages (not shown in FIG. 6 ) with an updated position estimate, for example, when triggered by certain events, or at periodic intervals, or upon receiving further positioning information from the target device, and so on.

FIG6 illustrates an exemplary location session with three explicit transactions, A, B, and C. In general, a location session can include any number of transactions and any type of transaction. Multiple transactions of the same type can also be executed. For example, a transaction can be executed to obtain positioning information from a target device to support E-CID positioning to obtain an approximate position, and a separate A-GNSS association transaction can be executed in parallel or subsequently to obtain an accurate position.

The message flow of the MO-LR service is shown in Figure 6. Steps 2 to 7 in Figure 6 may be used to define the message flow of the Mobile Terminated Location Request (MT-LR) service.

As shown in FIG6 , several transactions can be performed. A transaction can involve a pair of positioning messages exchanged between the positioning unit in the target device 110 and the location server 130, as shown in FIG6 . A transaction can also involve a single positioning message sent unilaterally by one entity. For example, the positioning unit in the target device 110 can unilaterally provide its capabilities without receiving a request for capabilities, and the location server 130 can unilaterally provide assistance data without receiving a request for assistance data. Multiple positioning messages related to multiple transactions can be aggregated and delivered together. For example, the positioning messages in steps 2 and 4 can be delivered together, the positioning messages in steps 3 and 5 can be delivered together, and so on.

FIG7 shows a design of a process 700 used by a location server to support positioning. The location server may obtain positioning information about a target device via a common positioning protocol, which may be LPP or some other positioning protocol (block 712). The location server may reside on one of a number of possible entities, and the target device may be one of these entities. For example, the location server may reside in a network entity or may be co-located with the target device. Regardless of where the location server resides, the location server may use the common positioning protocol and may communicate with other entities via the common positioning protocol. A common positioning protocol may simply mean that the same positioning protocol is used regardless of where the location server resides. The location server may determine location information about the target device (block 714).

In one design, the positioning information may include measurements of at least one reference source. For example, the location server may obtain measurements of at least one signal from at least one satellite, or at least one base station, or at least one terminal, or a target device, or some other entity, or a combination thereof. The positioning information may include a position estimate of the target device, which may be determined by the location server based on these measurements. In another design, the positioning information (i) may indicate the location of the target device, for example, may include a coarse or fine position estimate, or (ii) may include measurements of a reference source that can be received at the location of the target device. The positioning information may include assistance data determined by the location server based on the positioning information. In yet another design, the position information may include assistance data, and the positioning information may include measurements made based on the assistance data. In general, the positioning information may include measurements, position estimates, etc. The positioning information may include position estimates, assistance data, etc. The two steps in Figure 7 may be performed in the order shown in Figure 7, or in the reverse order. The position information may be determined based on the positioning information, or vice versa.

In one design, a positioning unit for a target device may determine positioning information, e.g., by making measurements. The positioning unit may reside on one of a second plurality of possible entities, and the target device may be one of these entities. A location server may communicate with the positioning unit via a common positioning protocol. For example, the location server may exchange capabilities, assistance data, location information, or a combination thereof with the positioning unit via the common positioning protocol.

FIG8 shows a design of a process 800 for supporting positioning by an entity, which can be a target device, a positioning unit, or some other entity. The entity can send positioning information about the target device to a location server via a common positioning protocol (block 812). The location server can reside on one of multiple possible entities and can use the common positioning protocol regardless of where it resides. The target device can be one of the multiple possible entities. The entity can receive the location information about the target device from the location server (block 814).

In one design, the positioning information may include measurements of at least one reference source, and the location information may include a position estimate of the target device determined by the location server based on the measurements. In another design, the positioning information may include measurements of a reference source receivable at the location of the target device, and the location information may include assistance data determined by the location server based on the positioning information. In yet another design, the location information may include assistance data, and the positioning information may include measurements based on the assistance data. In this design, block 812 may occur after block 814.

In one design, the entity may measure at least one signal from at least one reference source to obtain the measurements. In one design, the at least one reference source may include at least one satellite, at least one base station, at least one terminal, or a combination thereof. In this design, the measurements may be made at the target device. In another design, the at least one reference source may include the target device and possibly other reference sources. In this design, the measurements may be made at a positioning unit external to the target device.

FIG9 shows a design of a process 900 for supporting positioning by an entity, which can be a location server, a positioning unit, a target device, or some other entity. The entity can exchange (e.g., send or receive) multiple positioning messages transmitted together in a message transaction (block 912). In one design, the entity can send the multiple positioning messages as linked messages or in a single container message. In another design, the entity can receive the multiple positioning messages, which can be sent as linked messages or in a single container message. The entity can perform positioning based on the multiple positioning messages (block 914).

In one design, the multiple positioning messages may be sent by the target device along with the MO-LR message to initiate positioning. In another design, the multiple positioning messages may be sent by a location server and may include (i) a first positioning message carrying assistance data, and (ii) a second positioning message requesting location information. In yet another design, the multiple positioning messages may be sent (e.g., by a positioning unit or the target device) to the location server and may include (i) a first positioning message requesting assistance data, and (ii) a second positioning message carrying measurements. The multiple messages may also include some other combination of messages.

In one design, each of the plurality of positioning messages may be one of a plurality of message types, including a request capability message type, a provide capability message type, a request assistance data message type, a provide assistance data message type, a request location information message type, and a provide location information message type. The plurality of positioning messages may include positioning messages of at least two message types.

FIG10 shows a design of a process 1000 for supporting positioning by an entity, which can be a location server, a positioning unit, a target device, or some other entity. The entity may exchange positioning messages comprising a first part and a second part for a particular transaction type (block 1012). The first part may include first information for positioning defined by a first organization, and the second part may include second information for positioning defined by a second organization. For example, the first organization may include 3GPP or some other organization. The second organization may include 3GPP2, OMA, IETF, IEEE, a network operator, an equipment vendor, or some other organization. The entity may perform positioning based on the positioning message (block 1014).

In one design of block 1012, the entity may be a target device that sends or receives positioning messages to or from a location server. In another design, the entity may be a location server that sends or receives positioning messages to or from a target device.

In one design of block 1014, the entity may determine assistance data or a position estimate based on first information in the first portion (e.g., measurements) and second information in the second portion (e.g., more measurements, or a coarse position estimate). In another design, the entity may make measurements based on first information in the first portion (e.g., assistance data regarding satellites) and second information in the second portion (e.g., assistance data regarding base stations).

FIG11 shows a design of a process 1100 for supporting positioning by an entity, which can be a location server, a positioning unit, a target device, or some other entity. The entity may exchange measurement data units applicable to a first plurality of positioning methods, where each positioning method in the first plurality of positioning methods is associated with a different set of applicable measurement data units (block 1112). For example, the exchanged measurement data units may be MDU 2 in FIG3 . The first plurality of positioning methods may include PMa and PMb. Positioning method PMa may be associated with a first set of MDUs 1, 2, and 3, while positioning method PMb may be associated with a second set of MDUs 2 and 3. The entity may perform positioning based on the exchanged measurement data units and in accordance with a positioning method, which may be one of the first plurality of positioning methods (block 1114).

Alternatively or additionally, the entity may exchange assistance data units applicable to a second plurality of positioning methods, wherein each positioning method in the second plurality of positioning methods is associated with a different set of applicable assistance data units (block 1116). The entity may perform positioning based on the exchanged assistance data units and in accordance with a positioning method, which may be one of the second plurality of positioning methods (block 1118).

In general, only shared measurement data units may be supported, only shared assistance data units may be supported, or both shared measurement and assistance data units may be supported. If only shared measurement data units are supported, blocks 1112 and 1114 may be performed, and blocks 1116 and 1118 may be omitted. If only shared assistance data units are supported, blocks 1116 and 1118 may be performed, and blocks 1112 and 1114 may be omitted. If both shared measurement and assistance data units are supported, blocks 1112 through 1118 may be performed.

FIG12 shows a block diagram of a design of a target device 110, a base station 122, and a location server 130. The target device 110 can be a UE, a SET, or the like. The location server 130 can be an SMLC, an E-SMLC, an SLP, or the like. The positioning unit 120 can reside in the target device 110, the base station 122, or some other entity. The reference source 140 can be part of the base station 122, a satellite, or some other entity. For simplicity, FIG12 shows only a controller/processor 1220, a memory 1222, and a transmitter/receiver (TMTR/RCVR) 1224 for the target device 110; only a controller/processor 1230, a memory 1232, a transmitter/receiver 1234, and a communication (Comm) unit 1236 for the base station 122; and only a controller/processor 1240, a memory 1242, and a communication unit 1244 for the location server 130. In general, each entity may include any number of processing units (processors, controllers, etc.), memories, transmitters/receivers, communication units, etc.

On the downlink, base station 122 may transmit data, signaling, and pilots to terminals within its coverage area. This various types of information may be processed by processing unit 1230, conditioned by transmitter 1234, and transmitted on the downlink. At target device 110, downlink signals from base station 122 and other base stations may be received and conditioned by receiver 1224 and further processed by processing unit 1220 to obtain various types of information. Processing unit 1220 may perform process 800 in FIG. 8 , process 900 in FIG. 9 , process 1000 in FIG. 10 , process 1100 in FIG. 11 , and/or other processes of the techniques described herein. Memories 1222 and 1232 may store program codes and data for target device 110 and base station 122, respectively. On the uplink, target device 110 may transmit data, signaling, and pilots to base station 122. This various types of information may be processed by processing unit 1220, conditioned by transmitter 1224, and transmitted on the uplink. At base station 122, uplink signals from target device 110 and other terminals may be received and conditioned by receiver 1234 and further processed by processing unit 1230 to obtain various types of information from the terminals. Base station 122 may communicate directly or indirectly with location server 130 via communication unit 1236.

Within location server 130, processing unit 1240 may perform processing to support location services and positioning for terminals. For example, processing unit 1240 may perform process 700 in FIG. 7, process 800 in FIG. 8, process 900 in FIG. 9, process 1000 in FIG. 10, process 1100 in FIG. 11, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. Processing unit 1240 may also calculate a location estimate for target device 110, provide location information, and the like. Memory 1242 may store program code and data for location server 130. Communication unit 1244 may allow location server 130 to communicate with base station 122 and/or other network entities. Location server 130 and target device 110 may exchange positioning messages via base station 122 and other network entities (not shown).

Positioning unit 120 may reside in terminal 110, base station 122, or location server 130. In this case, the processing performed by positioning unit 120 may be performed by processing unit 1220, 1230, or 1240, respectively. Positioning unit 120 may also be external to the entity shown in FIG12. In this case, positioning unit 120 may include one or more processing units (processors, controllers, etc.) capable of performing the required functions, memory, transmitter/receiver, communication unit, etc.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the disclosure herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. A skilled person may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such design decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of this disclosure.

The position determination techniques described herein can be implemented in conjunction with various wireless communication networks such as wireless wide area networks (WWANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), and wireless personal area networks (WPANs). The terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably. A WWAN can be a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) network, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) network, a long term evolution (LTE) network, a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network, or the like. A CDMA network can implement one or more radio access technologies (RATs) such as cdma2000 and wideband CDMA (W-CDMA). Cdma2000 includes IS-95, IS-2000, and IS-856 standards. A TDMA network can implement Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System (D-AMPS), or some other RAT. GSM and W-CDMA are described in documents from a consortium called the "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). Cdma2000 is described in documents from a consortium called the "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. A WLAN can be an IEEE 802.11x network, and a WPAN can be a Bluetooth network, IEEE 802.15x, or some other type of network. These technologies can also be implemented in conjunction with any combination of WWAN, WLAN, and/or WPAN.

A satellite positioning system (SPS) typically includes a system of transmitters positioned so that each entity can determine its position on or above the Earth based, at least in part, on signals received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit signals marked with a repeating pseudorandom noise (PN) code having a set number of chips and may be located on ground-based control stations, user equipment, and/or spacecraft. In a specific example, such transmitters may be located on a satellite vehicle (SV) in Earth orbit. For example, an SV in a constellation of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, Glonass, or Compass, may transmit a signal marked with a PN code that is distinguishable from the PN codes transmitted by other SVs in the constellation (e.g., using a different PN code for each satellite as in GPS or using the same code at different frequencies as in Glonass). According to certain aspects, the techniques presented herein are not limited to global SPS systems (e.g., GNSS). For example, the techniques provided herein may be applied to or otherwise enabled for use in various regional systems, such as, for example, the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) over Japan, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) over India, BeiDou over China, and/or various augmentation systems (e.g., satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS)) that may be associated with or otherwise enabled for use with one or more global and/or regional navigation satellite systems. By way of example and not limitation, SBAS may include augmentation systems that provide integrity information, differential corrections, and the like, such as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), GPS-Assisted Geo (geostationary) Augmented Navigation, or the GPS and Geo Augmented Navigation System (GAGAN), and/or the like. Thus, as used herein, an SPS may include any combination of one or more global and/or regional navigation satellite systems and/or augmentation systems, and an SPS signal may include an SPS signal, an SPS-like signal, and/or other signals associated with such one or more SPSs.

The methodologies described herein may be implemented by various means depending on the application. For example, the methodologies may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For implementations involving hardware, the processing unit may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.

For implementations involving firmware and/or software, these methodologies can be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium that tangibly implements instructions can be used to implement the methodologies described herein. For example, software code can be stored in a memory and executed by a processing unit. The memory can be implemented inside the processing unit or outside the processing unit. As used herein, the term "memory" refers to any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory, and is not limited to any particular type of memory or a particular number of memories, or the type of medium on which the memory is stored.

If implemented in firmware and/or software, each function may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Examples include computer-readable media encoded with a data structure and computer-readable media encoded with a computer program. Computer-readable media may take the form of an article of manufacture. Computer-readable media include physical computer storage media. The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, semiconductor storage, or other storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer; as used herein, disks and discs include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where disks often reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

In addition to being stored on a computer-readable medium, instructions and/or data may also be provided as signals on a transmission medium included in a communication device. For example, the communication device may include a transceiver that carries signals indicating instructions and data. These instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processing units to implement the functions outlined in the claims. That is, the communication device includes a transmission medium that carries signals indicating information for performing the disclosed functions. At a first time, the transmission medium included in the communication device may include a first portion of the information for performing the disclosed functions, while at a second time, the transmission medium included in the communication device may include a second portion of the information for performing the disclosed functions.

The foregoing description of the present disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims (26)

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: obtaining, by a location server residing on one of a plurality of possible entities and using the same common positioning protocol regardless of where the location server resides, positioning information about the target device and exchanging capabilities with a positioning unit via a common positioning protocol, and wherein the target device is one of the plurality of possible entities; and determining, by the location server, location information about the target device, The positioning information about the target device is obtained by the positioning unit, and further includes: The location server communicates with the positioning unit via the common positioning protocol, The location server is capable of using overlapping assistance data by using a streamlined assistance data set to more efficiently support several positioning methods within the positioning method class PMC supported by the common positioning protocol, and the positioning method class PMC includes a set of positioning methods defined by applying one or more ubiquitous positioning methods to a given type of reference source. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the positioning information includes measurements of at least one reference source, and the position information includes a position estimate of the target device determined by the location server based on the measurements; or the positioning information indicates the location of the target device, and the position information includes assistance data determined by the location server based on the positioning information; or the positioning information includes measurements of reference sources that can be received at the location of the target device, and the position information includes assistance data determined by the location server based on the positioning information; and/or the position information includes assistance data, and the positioning information includes measurements obtained based on the assistance data; or the positioning information about the target device includes measurements of at least one signal from at least one satellite, or at least one base station, or at least one other terminal, or the target device, or a combination thereof; and/or the location server resides in a network entity or the location server is co-located with the target device; the positioning unit resides on one of a second plurality of possible entities, and the method, The method further includes exchanging location information with the positioning unit via the common positioning protocol. 3. A device for wireless communication, comprising: means for obtaining, by a location server, location information about a target device via a common positioning protocol and exchanging capabilities with a positioning unit, the location server being resident on one of a plurality of possible entities and using the same common positioning protocol regardless of where the location server is resident, and the target device being one of the plurality of possible entities; and means for determining, by said location server, location information about said target device, The positioning information about the target device is obtained by the positioning unit, and further includes: means for communicating, by said location server, with said positioning unit via said common positioning protocol, The location server is capable of using overlapping assistance data by using a streamlined assistance data set to more efficiently support several positioning methods within the positioning method class PMC supported by the common positioning protocol, and the positioning method class PMC includes a set of positioning methods defined by applying one or more ubiquitous positioning methods to a given type of reference source. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the location unit resides on one of a second plurality of possible entities. 5. The device according to claim 4, further comprising: Means for exchanging assistance data, or position information, or a combination thereof with the positioning unit via the common positioning protocol. 6. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: at least one processing unit configured to: obtain positioning information about a target device by a location server via a common positioning protocol and exchange capabilities with a positioning unit, and determine the location information of the target device by the location server, the location server being resident on one of a plurality of possible entities and using the same common positioning protocol regardless of where the location server is resident, and the target device being one of the plurality of possible entities, The positioning information about the target device is obtained by the positioning unit, and further includes: The location server communicates with the positioning unit via the common positioning protocol, The location server is capable of using overlapping assistance data by using a streamlined assistance data set to more efficiently support several positioning methods within the positioning method class PMC supported by the common positioning protocol, and the positioning method class PMC includes a set of positioning methods defined by applying one or more ubiquitous positioning methods to a given type of reference source. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the location unit resides in one of a second plurality of possible entities. 8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to exchange assistance data, or position information, or a combination thereof with the positioning unit via the common positioning protocol. 9. A method for wireless communication, comprising: sending location information about the target device to a location server via a common positioning protocol and exchanging capabilities with the location server, the location server being resident on one of a plurality of possible entities and using the same common positioning protocol regardless of where the location server is resident, and the target device being one of the plurality of possible entities; and receiving location information about the target device from the location server, The sending of the positioning information and the receiving of the position information are performed by a positioning unit, and further comprising: The positioning unit communicates with the location server via the common positioning protocol, The location server is capable of using overlapping assistance data by using a streamlined assistance data set to more efficiently support several positioning methods within the positioning method class PMC supported by the common positioning protocol, and the positioning method class PMC includes a set of positioning methods defined by applying one or more ubiquitous positioning methods to a given type of reference source. 10. A method for wireless communication, comprising: sending location information about the target device to a location server via a common positioning protocol and exchanging capabilities with the location server, the location server being resident on one of a plurality of possible entities and using the same common positioning protocol regardless of where the location server is resident, and the target device being one of the plurality of possible entities; and receiving location information about the target device from the location server, wherein the sending of the positioning information and the receiving of the position information are performed by the target device; or wherein the sending of the positioning information and the receiving of the position information are performed by a positioning unit external to the target device; and/or Also includes: measuring at the target device at least one signal from at least one reference source to obtain a measurement of the target device, the at least one reference source comprising at least one satellite, or at least one base station, or at least one other terminal, or a combination thereof, and the positioning information comprising the measurement; or Also includes: measuring a signal from the target device at a positioning unit to obtain a measurement of the target device, the positioning unit being external to the target device, and the positioning information including the measurement, The location server is capable of using overlapping assistance data by using a streamlined assistance data set to more efficiently support several positioning methods within the positioning method class PMC supported by the common positioning protocol, and the positioning method class PMC includes a set of positioning methods defined by applying one or more ubiquitous positioning methods to a given type of reference source. 11. A device for wireless communication, comprising: means for sending location information about a target device to a location server via a common positioning protocol and exchanging capabilities with the location server, the location server being resident on one of a plurality of possible entities and using the same common positioning protocol regardless of where the location server is resident, and the target device being one of the plurality of possible entities; and means for receiving location information about the target device from the location server, The sending of the positioning information and the receiving of the position information are performed by a positioning unit, and further comprising: means for communicating with the location server via the common positioning protocol by the positioning unit, The location server is capable of using overlapping assistance data by using a streamlined assistance data set to more efficiently support several positioning methods within the positioning method class PMC supported by the common positioning protocol, and the positioning method class PMC includes a set of positioning methods defined by applying one or more ubiquitous positioning methods to a given type of reference source. 12. The device of claim 11, further comprising: Means for measuring at the target device at least one signal from at least one reference source to obtain measurements of the target device, the at least one reference source comprising at least one satellite, or at least one base station, or at least one other terminal, or a combination thereof, and the positioning information comprising the measurements. 13. The device of claim 11, further comprising: means for measuring, at a positioning unit, signals from the target device to obtain measurements of the target device, the positioning unit being external to the target device, and the positioning information comprising the measurements. 14. A method for wireless communication, comprising: obtaining, by a location server residing on one of a plurality of possible entities and using the same common positioning protocol regardless of where the location server resides, positioning information about the target device and exchanging capabilities with a positioning unit via a common positioning protocol, and wherein the target device is one of the plurality of possible entities; and determining, by the location server, location information about the target device, The positioning information about the target device is obtained by the positioning unit, and further includes: The location server communicates with the positioning unit via the common positioning protocol, The location server is capable of using overlapping measurement data by using a streamlined measurement data set to more efficiently support several positioning methods within the positioning method class PMC supported by the common positioning protocol, and the positioning method class PMC includes a set of positioning methods defined by applying one or more ubiquitous positioning methods to a given type of reference source. 15. A method as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that the positioning information includes measurements of at least one reference source, and the position information includes a position estimate of the target device determined by the location server based on the measurements; or the positioning information indicates the location of the target device, and the position information includes assistance data determined by the location server based on the positioning information; or the positioning information includes measurements of reference sources that can be received at the location of the target device, and the position information includes assistance data determined by the location server based on the positioning information; and/or the position information includes assistance data, and the positioning information includes measurements obtained based on the assistance data; or the positioning information about the target device includes measurements of at least one signal from at least one satellite, or at least one base station, or at least one other terminal, or the target device, or a combination thereof; and/or wherein the location server resides in a network entity or wherein the location server is co-located with the target device; wherein the positioning unit resides on one of a second plurality of possible entities and the method, The method further includes exchanging location information with the positioning unit via the common positioning protocol. 16. A device for wireless communication, comprising: means for obtaining, by a location server, location information about a target device via a common positioning protocol and exchanging capabilities with a positioning unit, the location server being resident on one of a plurality of possible entities and using the same common positioning protocol regardless of where the location server is resident, and the target device being one of the plurality of possible entities; and means for determining, by the location server, location information about the target device, The positioning information about the target device is obtained by the positioning unit, and further includes: means for communicating, by said location server, with said positioning unit via said common positioning protocol, The location server is capable of using overlapping measurement data by using a streamlined measurement data set to more efficiently support several positioning methods within the positioning method class PMC supported by the common positioning protocol, and the positioning method class PMC includes a set of positioning methods defined by applying one or more ubiquitous positioning methods to a given type of reference source. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the location unit resides on one of a second plurality of possible entities. 18. The device of claim 17, further comprising: Means for exchanging assistance data, or position information, or a combination thereof with the positioning unit via the common positioning protocol. 19. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: at least one processing unit configured to: obtain positioning information about a target device by a location server via a common positioning protocol and exchange capabilities with a positioning unit, and determine the location information of the target device by the location server, the location server being resident on one of a plurality of possible entities and using the same common positioning protocol regardless of where the location server is resident, and the target device being one of the plurality of possible entities, The positioning information about the target device is obtained by the positioning unit, and further includes: The location server communicates with the positioning unit via the common positioning protocol, The location server is capable of using overlapping measurement data by using a streamlined measurement data set to more efficiently support several positioning methods within the positioning method class PMC supported by the common positioning protocol, and the positioning method class PMC includes a set of positioning methods defined by applying one or more ubiquitous positioning methods to a given type of reference source. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the location unit resides at one of a second plurality of possible entities. 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to exchange assistance data, or position information, or a combination thereof with the positioning unit via the common positioning protocol. 22. A method for wireless communication, comprising: sending location information about the target device to a location server via a common positioning protocol and exchanging capabilities with the location server, the location server being resident on one of a plurality of possible entities and using the same common positioning protocol regardless of where the location server is resident, and the target device being one of the plurality of possible entities; and receiving location information about the target device from the location server, The sending of the positioning information and the receiving of the position information are performed by a positioning unit, and further comprising: The positioning unit communicates with the location server via the common positioning protocol, The location server is capable of using overlapping measurement data by using a streamlined measurement data set to more efficiently support several positioning methods within the positioning method class PMC supported by the common positioning protocol, and the positioning method class PMC includes a set of positioning methods defined by applying one or more ubiquitous positioning methods to a given type of reference source. 23. A method for wireless communication, comprising: sending location information about the target device to a location server via a common positioning protocol and exchanging capabilities with the location server, the location server being resident on one of a plurality of possible entities and using the same common positioning protocol regardless of where the location server is resident, and the target device being one of the plurality of possible entities; and receiving location information about the target device from the location server, wherein the sending of the positioning information and the receiving of the position information are performed by the target device; or wherein the sending of the positioning information and the receiving of the position information are performed by a positioning unit external to the target device; and/or Also includes: measuring at the target device at least one signal from at least one reference source to obtain a measurement of the target device, the at least one reference source comprising at least one satellite, or at least one base station, or at least one other terminal, or a combination thereof, and the positioning information comprising the measurement; or Also includes: measuring a signal from the target device at a positioning unit to obtain a measurement of the target device, the positioning unit being external to the target device, and the positioning information including the measurement, The location server is capable of using overlapping measurement data by using a streamlined measurement data set to more efficiently support several positioning methods within the positioning method class PMC supported by the common positioning protocol, and the positioning method class PMC includes a set of positioning methods defined by applying one or more ubiquitous positioning methods to a given type of reference source. 24. A device for wireless communication, comprising: means for sending location information about a target device to a location server via a common positioning protocol and exchanging capabilities with the location server, the location server being resident on one of a plurality of possible entities and using the same common positioning protocol regardless of where the location server is resident, and the target device being one of the plurality of possible entities; and means for receiving location information about the target device from the location server, The sending of the positioning information and the receiving of the position information are performed by a positioning unit, and further comprising: means for communicating with the location server via the common positioning protocol by the positioning unit, The location server is capable of using overlapping measurement data by using a streamlined measurement data set to more efficiently support several positioning methods within the positioning method class PMC supported by the common positioning protocol, and the positioning method class PMC includes a set of positioning methods defined by applying one or more ubiquitous positioning methods to a given type of reference source. 25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising: Means for measuring at the target device at least one signal from at least one reference source to obtain measurements of the target device, the at least one reference source comprising at least one satellite, or at least one base station, or at least one other terminal, or a combination thereof, and the positioning information comprising the measurements. 26. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising: means for measuring, at a positioning unit, signals from the target device to obtain measurements of the target device, the positioning unit being external to the target device, and the positioning information comprising the measurements.