WO2019110109A1

WO2019110109A1 - Reconfiguration of an indoor radio positioning support system based on radio positioning support mode information

Info

Publication number: WO2019110109A1
Application number: PCT/EP2017/081869
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lauri Aarne Johannes Wirola; Jari Tapani SYRJÄRINNE
Original assignee: Here Global BV
Current assignee: Here Global BV
Priority date: 2017-12-07
Filing date: 2017-12-07
Publication date: 2019-06-13
Anticipated expiration: 2020-06-07
Also published as: EP3721246A1

Abstract

It is inter-alia disclosed a method for reconfiguring one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3) of an indoor radio positioning support system (300), the method comprising:- receiving or determining (401) radio positioning support mode information that are indicative for an radio positioning support mode associated with one or more mobile devices (301, 302) within a coverage area of said indoor radio positioning support system (300); determining (402) whether said one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3) are to be reconfigured at least partially based on said received or determined radio positioning support mode information; and - if it is determined that said one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3) are to be reconfigured, reconfiguring or causing reconfiguring (403) said one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3).

Description

RECONFIGURATION OF AN INDOOR RADIO POSITIONING SUPPORT SYSTEM BASED ON RADIO POSITIONING SUPPORT MODE INFORMATION

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The invention relates to the field of indoor radio positioning support systems and more specifically to at least partially reconfiguring an indoor radio positioning support system or at least partially reconfiguration of an indoor radio positioning support system.

BACKGROUND

Satellite signal based positioning technologies, which are mainly used outdoors, are usually not suited to deliver a satisfactory performance when used for indoor positioning, since satellite signals of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), like the global positioning system (GPS), do not penetrate through walls and roofs strongly enough for an adequate signal reception indoors. Thus, these positioning technologies are not able to deliver a performance indoors that would enable seamless, equal and accurate navigation experience outdoors and indoors.

Therefore, several dedicated solutions for indoor positioning have been developed and commercially deployed during the past years. Examples comprise solutions that are based on pseudolites, which are ground based GPS-like short-range beacons, ultra-sound positioning solutions, Bluetooth low energy (BLE) based positioning solutions, cellular network based positioning solutions and wireless local area network (WLAN) based positioning solutions.

A Bluetooth based positioning solution such as a self-contained positioning system, for instance, may be divided in at least three stages, an installation stage, a training stage and a positioning stage.

In the installation stage, Bluetooth beacons are installed in the environment for which a positioning solution is to be provided.

In the subsequent training stage, learning data are collected. The data may be collected in the form of fingerprint observation reports that are based on measurements by mobile devices. A fingerprint observation report may contain a location estimate and measurements taken from the radio interface. The location estimate may be for example GNSS based, sensor-based, or manually inputted.

Measurements taken from the radio interface may comprise, by way of example, measured radio signal strengths and an identification of Bluetooth beacons transmitting the radio signals. The training may be a continuous background process, in which mobile devices of a large number of consumers are continuously observation reporting measured data to a server. Consumers may consent to a participation in such a data collection, if their device is equipped with the needed functionality. This approach is also referred to as crowd-sourcing. Alternatively or in addition, mobile devices may be used for collecting fingerprints in a systematic manner. Collected fingerprint data may be uploaded to a database in a server or in the cloud, where algorithms may be run to generate radio coverage area models of Bluetooth beacons and/or radio maps for positioning purposes.

In the positioning stage, a mobile device may estimate its current location based on own measurements taken from the radio interface and on the data or a subset of data that is available from the training stage. Coverage area model data or radio map data that has been generated in the training stage may be transferred to mobile devices by a server via the Internet as assistance data for use in position determinations. Alternatively, coverage area model data and/or radio map data may be stored in a positioning server to which the mobile devices may connect to via the Internet for obtaining a position estimate.

A similar approach could be used for a positioning that is based on other types of terrestrial transmitters or on a combination of different types of terrestrial transmitters.

SUMMARY OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

According to an exemplary aspect of the invention, a method for reconfiguring one or more radio positioning support devices of an indoor radio positioning support system is disclosed, wherein the method comprises:

receiving or determining radio positioning support mode information that is indicative for an radio positioning support mode (e.g. a first radio positioning support mode] associated with one or more mobile devices (e.g. one or more mobile devices of a first subgroup of a plurality of mobile devices) within a coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system ;

determining whether the one or more radio positioning support devices are to be reconfigured at least partially based on the received or determined radio positioning support mode information; and

if it is determined that the one or more radio positioning support devices are to be reconfigured, reconfiguring or causing reconfiguring the one or more radio positioning support devices. The method may be performed by an apparatus, for example by any one embodiment of the below disclosed apparatus(es).

The indoor radio positioning support system may be any one embodiment of the below disclosed system.

The indoor radio positioning support system may be a positioning system for a predetermined indoor environment (e.g. for a building or a complex of buildings like a shopping center, a parking garage, an airport, a company site, a warehouse, etc.). Therein, a predetermined indoor environment may be understood to represent an environment and/or an area which is at least partially indoors (i.e. inside of a building or a complex of buildings like a shopping center, a parking garage, an airport, a company site, etc.). For example, the indoor radio positioning support system may be an indoor positioning system or a self-contained positioning system or a combination thereof, for example a self-contained indoor positioning system.

The one or more radio positioning support devices of the indoor radio positioning support system (e.g. all radio positioning support devices of the indoor radio positioning support system ) may transmit (e.g. broadcast) or trigger to transmit or may be configured to transmit or to trigger to transmit a respective radio positioning support signal. For example, the one or more radio positioning support devices may transmit (e.g. broadcast) or trigger to transmit or may be configured to transmit or to trigger to transmit (a) respective radio positioning support signal(s) automatically and/or repeatedly, for example on a periodic basis. The respective radio positioning support signal(s) may contain positioning support data. The positioning support data are for example configured to enable the one or more mobile devices receiving the respective radio positioning support signal(s) to estimate their position at least partially based on these positioning support data. An example of such positioning support data is an identifier of the radio positioning support device of the plurality of radio positioning support devices by which the respective radio positioning support signal is transmitted (e.g. broadcasted) or triggered to be transmitted. By receiving one or more of the radio positioning support signals and/or by evaluating (e.g. measuring) one or more of the radio positioning support signals, the one or more mobile devices may accordingly estimate their position as disclosed above (e.g. by additionally using data representing a coverage area model or a radio map that has been generated in a training stage of the indoor radio positioning support system as disclosed above).

The coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system may be understood to represent an area of a predetermined indoor environment within which the indoor radio positioning support system is expected to support mobile devices to estimate their positions. Alternatively or additionally, the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system may be defined by an environment and/or an area within which the indoor radio positioning support system is capable to support mobile devices to estimate their positions.

Each of the one or more mobile devices may be one of:

a handheld device like a smartphone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a smart watch, a smart band or a portable navigation device, or

a vehicle or a module for installation in a vehicle like a navigation device for installation in a vehicle.

Examples of such a vehicle may be indoor vehicles like a forklift and/or an indoor transportation vehicle or autonomous vehicles like an automated guided vehicle or combinations thereof like an autonomous indoor vehicle.

For example, the one or more mobile devices may be understood to be within the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system if the one or more mobile devices receive one or more radio positioning support signals transmitted by one or more radio positioning support devices of the indoor radio positioning support system.

As disclosed below in more detail, the one or more mobile devices may form a first subgroup of a plurality of mobile devices that are within the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system. For example, the one or more mobile devices may be associated with the same radio positioning support mode (e.g. a first radio positioning support mode).

The radio positioning support mode information may be indicative for the radio positioning support mode by representing the radio positioning support mode (e.g. by containing an identifier of the radio positioning support mode). It is to be understood that the radio positioning support mode information may be indicative for more than one radio positioning support mode (e.g. for a first radio positioning support mode and a second radio positioning support mode).

The radio positioning support mode (e.g. the first radio positioning support mode) may be associated with a configuration (e.g. a first configuration) of the one or more radio positioning support devices of the indoor radio positioning support system. A configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices may be understood to represent (e.g. specify) one or more radio transmission parameters of the one or more radio positioning support devices. If the one or more radio positioning support devices are configured with a certain configuration, the one or more radio positioning support devices may be configured to transmit or to trigger transmitting radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) according to this certain configuration (e.g. with radio transmission parameters specified by this certain configuration]. It is to be understood that the one or more radio positioning support devices may be configured according to more than one configuration (e.g. at the same time).

For example, when the one or more radio positioning support devices are configured according to at least two configurations (e.g. a first configuration and a second configuration), the one or more radio positioning support devices are configured to transmit or to trigger transmitting radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) according to these at least two configurations (e.g. according to both the first configuration and the second configuration), for example by multiplexing the radio signals. Therein, it may be stipulated that radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) that are transmitted or triggered to be transmitted according to different configurations by the same radio positioning support device represent (e.g. contain) different identifiers to be able to distinguish radio signals which are transmitted according to different configuration.

For example, the radio positioning support mode (e.g. the first radio positioning support mode) may be understood to be associated with the one or more mobile devices (e.g. the one or more mobile devices of a first subgroup) if the one or more mobile devices require or are expected to require the configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices of the indoor radio positioning support system associated with the radio positioning support mode for (e.g. sufficiently) estimating their position (e.g. with a sufficient accuracy and/or a sufficient rate). Different radio positioning support modes may be associated with different configurations of the one or more radio positioning support devices of the indoor radio positioning support system. For example, a mobile device having a higher speed may need to estimate its position with a higher positioning update rate than a mobile device having a lower speed.

In certain exemplary embodiments of the invention, the association between the radio positioning support mode and the one or more mobile devices and/or the association between the radio positioning support mode and the configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices of the indoor radio positioning support system may be predefined. For example, a representation of these predefined associations may be stored in a memory of the apparatus performing the method. Such a representation may have the form of a database or an array or a list or a combination thereof.

Receiving the radio positioning support mode information may be understood to mean that the radio positioning support mode information is received by a communication interface (e.g. a radio interface and/or a network interface, for example a radio interface and/or a network interface of the apparatus performing the method). For example, the radio positioning support mode information is received in one or more signals (e.g. one or more communication signals like one or more radio signals). The radio positioning support mode information may be received from at least one of the one or more mobile devices or from another entity (e.g. a control system like a control system for mobile devices in the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system).

Determining the radio positioning support mode information may be performed according to predefined rules (e.g. a predefined algorithm) or predefined associations (e.g. a predefined association between the radio positioning support mode and the one or more mobile devices) or a combination thereof.

Determining, at least partially based on the received or determined radio positioning support mode information, whether the one or more radio positioning support devices are to be reconfigured may be understood to mean that the received or determined radio positioning support mode information is at least partially used for determining whether the one or more radio positioning support devices are to be reconfigured. The determining whether the one or more radio positioning support devices are to be reconfigured may further be performed according to predefined rules (e.g. a predefined algorithm) or predefined associations (e.g. a predefined association between the radio positioning support mode and the configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices as disclosed above) or a combination thereof.

Reconfiguring the one or more radio positioning support devices may involve adapting the configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices, for example by adapting one or more radio transmission parameters of the one or more radio positioning support devices.

Alternatively or additionally, reconfiguring the one or more radio positioning support devices may mean that the one or more radio positioning support devices continue to transmit or to trigger transmitting radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) according to the current configuration (e.g. a first configuration) of the one or more radio positioning support devices and, additionally, start to transmit or to trigger transmitting radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) according to another configuration (e.g. a second configuration) of the one or more radio positioning support devices. For example, the other configuration (e.g. the second configuration) of the one or more radio positioning support devices may represent (e.g. specify) different radio transmission parameters than the current configuration (e.g. the first configuration) of the one or more radio positioning support devices. In this example, the one or more radio positioning support devices may accordingly be configured to transmit or to trigger transmitting radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) according to both configurations (e.g. with radio transmission parameters specified by the first configuration and with radio transmission parameters specified by the second configuration), for example by multiplexing the radio signals according to both configurations. Causing reconfiguring the one or more radio positioning support devices may be understood to mean that the reconfiguring the one or more radio positioning support devices is controlled, for example by determining and/or transmitting or triggering transmitting control information to the one or more radio positioning support devices which are configured to cause the one or more radio positioning support devices to reconfigure themselves.

This is for example advantageous to allow reconfiguring the one or more radio positioning support devices if the configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices does not meet a requirement or an expected requirement of the one or more mobile devices (e.g. of the one or more mobile devices of a first subgroup) for estimating their position (e.g. with a sufficient accuracy and/or a sufficient frequency). The configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices can thus be adapted to different use cases.

According to a further exemplary aspect of the invention, an apparatus is disclosed, wherein the apparatus comprises means for performing the steps of any one embodiment of the disclosed method.

The means of the disclosed apparatus can be implemented in hardware and/or software. They may comprise for instance a processor for executing computer program code for realizing the required functions, a memory storing the program code, or both. Alternatively, they could comprise for instance circuitry that is designed to realize the required functions, for instance implemented in a chipset or a chip, like an integrated circuit. The disclosed apparatus may comprise a single means for all functions, a common plurality of means for all functions, or a plurality of different means for different functions.

According to a further exemplary aspect of the invention, an apparatus is disclosed, wherein the apparatus comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code with the at least one processor configured to cause the apparatus at least to perform any one embodiment of the disclosed method (e.g. the steps of any one embodiment of the disclosed method).

For example, the disclosed apparatus(es) may be modules or components for a device, for example chips. Alternatively, the disclosed apparatus(es) may be devices. In particular, the disclosed apparatus(es) may be a radio positioning support device (e.g. a radio positioning support device of the one or more radio positioning support devices and/or a radio positioning support device nominated as PAN and/or subgroup coordinator as disclosed below in more detail) or a server or a hub, for example a radio positioning support device or a server or a hub for the indoor radio positioning support system or of the indoor radio positioning support system. It is to be understood that the server or the hub may be embodied as a single device. Alternatively, the server or the hub may be embodied as a cloud (e.g. a plurality of servers connected via the Internet) and/or a as a virtual device (e.g. a virtual server operated in a cloud).

It is to be understood that the disclosed apparatus(es) may comprise only the disclosed components (e.g. means) or may further comprise one or more additional components (e.g. means). Examples of such additional components are a communication interface, a network interface, a radio interface (e.g. a receiver, a transmitter and/or a transceiver), a data interface, a user interface (e.g. a touch-sensitive display, a keyboard, a touchpad, a display, etc.) etc.

According to a further exemplary aspect of the invention, a system is disclosed which comprises a plurality of radio positioning support devices and an apparatus according to any one embodiment of the disclosed apparatus(es).

According to a further exemplary aspect of the invention, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium is disclosed, in which computer program code is stored. The computer program code causes an apparatus to perform any one embodiment of the disclosed method (e.g. the steps of any one embodiment of the disclosed method) when executed by a processor. The computer program code could be stored in the computer readable storage medium in the form of instructions encoding the computer-readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium may be intended for taking part in the operation of a device, like an internal or external hard disk of a computer, or be intended for distribution of the program code, like an optical disc.

According to a further exemplary aspect of the invention, a computer program code is disclosed, the computer program code when executed by a processor causing an apparatus to perform any one embodiment of the disclosed method (e.g. the steps of any one embodiment of the disclosed method).

The disclosed method, apparatus (es), system, non-transitory computer readable storage medium and computer program code may be for at least partially reconfiguring the indoor radio positioning support system or at least a partial reconfiguration of the indoor radio positioning support system at least partially based on the radio positioning support mode information by reconfiguring the one or more radio positioning support devices.

In the following, further features and embodiments of these exemplary aspects of the invention will be described.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the radio positioning support mode (e.g. the first radio positioning support mode) indicated by the received or determined radio positioning support mode information is one radio positioning support mode of a plurality of predefined radio positioning support modes. A representation of the plurality of predefined radio positioning support modes may be stored in a memory of the apparatus performing the method and/or in a memory of the one or more radio positioning support devices and/or in a memory of the one or more mobile devices. Such a representation may have the form of a database or an array or a list or a combination thereof.

By predefining such radio positioning support modes, the radio positioning support mode required by or expected to be required by the one or more mobile devices can be communicated efficiently. For example, the received or determined radio positioning support mode information may contain an identifier of the radio positioning support mode (i.e. the radio positioning support mode indicated by the received or determined radio positioning support mode information).

Moreover, each radio positioning support mode of the plurality of predefined radio positioning support modes may be associated with a respective predefined configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices. A representation of these associations may be stored in a memory of the apparatus performing the method and/or in a memory of the one or more radio positioning support devices and/or in a memory of the one or more mobile devices. Moreover, a representation of the predefined configurations (i.e. a plurality of predefined configurations) may be stored in a memory of the apparatus performing the method and/or in a memory of the one or more radio positioning support devices of the apparatus performing the method and/or in a memory of the one or more radio positioning support devices and/or in a memory of the one or more mobile devices. As disclosed above, such a representation may have the form of a database or an array or a list or a combination thereof.

These associations may be used for determining whether the one or more radio positioning support devices are to be reconfigured at least partially based on the received or determined radio positioning support mode information. If the current configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices corresponds to (or, optionally, exceeds) the predefined configuration that is associated with the radio positioning support mode indicated by the received or determined radio positioning support mode information, it may be determined that the one or more radio positioning support devices are not to be reconfigured. Otherwise, it may be determined that the one or more radio positioning support devices are be reconfigured. Accordingly, reconfiguring the one or more radio positioning support devices may be understood to mean that the configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices is adapted such that it corresponds to the predefined configuration associated with the radio positioning support mode indicated by the received or determined radio positioning support mode information. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more radio positioning devices may be reconfigured by starting to transmit or to trigger transmitting radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) according to the predefined configuration associated with the radio positioning support mode indicated by the received or determined radio positioning support mode information in addition to transmitting or triggering transmitting radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) according to the current configuration of the one or more radio positioning support signals.

As a non-limiting example, the plurality of predefined radio positioning support modes comprises a first predefined radio positioning support mode and a second predefined radio positioning support mode (i.e. different from the first predefined radio positioning support mode), wherein the first predefined radio positioning support mode is associated with a first predefined configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices and the second predefined radio positioning support mode associated with a second predefined configuration (i.e. different from the first predefined configuration) of the one or more radio positioning support devices. In this example, reconfiguring the one or more radio positioning support devices may comprise switching the configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices from the first predefined configuration to the second predefined configuration or from the second predefined configuration to the first predefined configuration or to activate both configurations.

Alternatively, the radio positioning support mode and, optionally, a configuration associated with the radio positioning support mode may not be predefined, but may for example be determined adaptively at least partially based on information associated with the one or more mobile devices (e.g. speed information associated with the one or more mobile devices as disclosed in more detail below).

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the radio positioning support mode indicated by the radio positioning support mode information depends at least partially on a speed associated with the one or more mobile devices.

The speed associated with the one or more mobile devices may be an average speed or a maximum speed or an expected speed of the one or more mobile devices (e.g. if the one or more mobile devices are installed in one or more vehicles, an average speed or a maximum speed or an expected speed of these one or more vehicles).

The average speed may for example represent the average speed of the one or more mobile devices during a predefined period of time (e.g. the last 5 minutes or the last 60 minutes). The average speed of the one or more mobile devices may at least partially be determined based on speed information representing one or more captured or determined speeds or speed changes of the one or more mobile devices during the predefined period of time. The speed of such a mobile device may for example be captured by a speed sensor of the mobile device. Alternatively or additionally, the speed of such a mobile device may for example be determined based on the distance between two subsequently estimated positions of the mobile device and the period of time between estimating these positions. For example, the one or more mobile devices may be configured accordingly.

The expected speed may for example represent the planned maximum or average speed of the one or more mobile devices when moving within the coverage area of the radio positioning support system. Alternative or additionally, the expected speed may represent a speed of a planned speed profile of the one or more mobile devices when moving within the coverage area of the radio positioning support system. The planned maximum or average speed or the planned speed profile of the one or more mobile devices may at least partially be represented by or determined based on navigation information for the one or more mobile devices.

The maximum speed may for example represent the maximum speed of the one or more mobile devices.

The radio positioning support mode indicated by the radio positioning support mode information may be understood to depend at least partially on the speed associated with the one or more mobile devices if the radio positioning support mode indicated by the radio positioning support mode information is determined at least partially based on the speed associated with the one or more mobile devices.

For example, the radio positioning support mode information is determined at least partially based on speed information indicative for a speed associated with the one or more mobile devices. Therein, the speed information may for example represent the speed associated with the one or more mobile devices. As disclosed above, the speed associated with the one or more mobile devices may be an average speed or a maximum speed or an expected speed of the one or more mobile devices.

For example, each radio positioning support mode of the plurality of predefined radio positioning support modes as disclosed above may be associated with a respective speed or a speed range.

Accordingly, the radio positioning support mode indicated by the radio positioning support mode information may be determined such that the speed associated with the one or more mobile devices corresponds to the speed or is within the speed range associated with this radio positioning support mode. A representation of the associations between the radio positioning support mode of the plurality of radio positioning support mode and speed or speed ranges may be stored in a memory of the apparatus performing the method and/or in a memory of the one or more radio positioning support devices and/or in a memory of the one or more mobile devices. As disclosed above, such a

representation may have the form of a database or an array or a list or a combination thereof. As a non-limiting example, the plurality of predefined radio positioning support modes comprises a first predefined radio positioning support mode and a second predefined radio positioning support mode (i.e. different from the first predefined radio positioning support mode), wherein the first predefined radio positioning support mode is associated with a speed range below or equal to a speed threshold and the second predefined radio positioning support mode is associated with a speed range above the speed threshold. In this example, the determined or received radio positioning support information may be indicative for the first predefined radio positioning support mode if the speed associated with the one or more mobile devices is below or equal to the speed threshold. Otherwise, the determined or received radio positioning support information may be indicative for the second predefined radio positioning support mode.

This is for example advantageous to enable adapting the configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices to mobile devices associated with different speeds.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the reconfiguring the one or more radio positioning support devices comprises:

activating another configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices in addition to the current configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices.

For example, the current configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices is the configuration according to which the one or more radio positioning support devices currently transmit or trigger transmitting radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signal). In particular, the current configuration may be a default configuration of a plurality of predefined configurations of the one or more radio positioning support devices. The other configuration may be any configuration of the plurality of configurations of the one or more radio positioning support devices that is different from the current configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices and associated with the radio positioning support mode indicated by the determined or received radio positioning support mode information.

Activating the other configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices in addition to the current configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices may be understood to mean that the one or more radio positioning support devices continue to transmit or to trigger transmitting radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) according to the current configuration (e.g. a first configuration) of the one or more radio positioning support devices and, additionally, start to transmit or to trigger transmitting radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) according to the other configuration (e.g. a second configuration) of the one or more radio positioning support devices. According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the reconfiguring the one or more radio positioning support devices comprises:

adapting one or more radio transmission parameters of the one or more radio positioning support devices.

The one or more radio transmission parameters may be for transmitting a radio positioning support signal. For example, the one or more radio positioning support devices are configured to transmit or to trigger transmitting radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) with these radio transmission parameters. Accordingly, the one or more radio positioning support devices may be reconfigured by adapting these radio transmission parameters.

The one or more radio transmission parameters of the one or more radio positioning support devices may be adapted at least partially based on a configuration (e.g. a predefined configuration) of the one or more radio positioning support devices associated with the radio positioning support mode indicated by the determined or received radio positioning support mode information. As disclosed above, a configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices may be understood to represent (e.g. specify) one or more radio transmission parameters of the one or more radio positioning support devices. As a non-limiting example, the one or more radio transmission parameters of the one or more radio positioning support devices may be adapted to the one or more radio transmission parameters as represented (e.g. specified) by the configuration (e.g. the predefined configuration) of the one or more radio positioning support devices associated with the radio positioning support mode indicated by the determined or received radio positioning support mode information.

For example, the one or more radio transmission parameters may comprise a radio transmission power parameter or a radio transmission interval parameter or a radio transmission channel parameter or a combination thereof.

The radio transmission power parameter may be understood to represent (e.g. specify) a radio transmission power for the one or more radio positioning support devices. The radio transmission power parameter may be understood to represent (e.g. specify) the radio transmission power with which radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) are transmitted or triggered to be transmitted by the one or more radio positioning support devices. For example, the radio transmission power parameter may represent (e.g. specify) a radio transmission power value (e.g. a Tx power value) in dBm or mW. Example radio transmission power values represented (e.g. specified) by a radio transmission power parameter are: 0 dBm (1 mW radio transmission power) or 5 dBm (approx. 3.2 mW radio transmission power) or 10 dBm (10 mW radio transmission power) or 20 dBm (100 mW radio transmission power) or 30 dBm (1000 mW radio transmission power). If the radio transmission power parameter is not used_; a default transmission power or an arbitrary transmission power may be used.

The radio transmission interval parameter may be understood to represent (e.g. specify) a transmission interval for the one or more radio positioning support devices. For example, the radio transmission interval parameter may represent (e.g. specify) how often (e.g. with which frequency) radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) are transmitted or triggered to be transmitted by the one or more radio positioning support devices. For example, the radio transmission interval parameter may represent (e.g. specify) a radio transmission interval value (e.g. a Tx interval value) in Hz. Example radio transmission interval values represented (e.g. specified) by a radio transmission interval parameter are: 1 Hz transmission interval or 5 Hz transmission interval or 10 Hz transmission interval. If the radio transmission interval parameter is not used, a default transmission interval or an arbitrary transmission interval may be used.

The radio transmission channel parameter may be understood to represent (e.g. specify) one or more transmission channels for the one or more radio positioning support devices. For example, the radio transmission channel parameter may represent (e.g. specify) transmission channels on which one or more radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) are transmitted or triggered to be transmitted by the one or more radio positioning support devices. For example, the radio transmission channel parameter may represent (e.g. specify) one of a plurality of (e.g. seven) different combinations of possible transmission channels. As a non-limiting example, the radio transmission channel parameter may represent (e.g. specify) one possible combination of three different transmission channels, e.g. referred to as transmission channels 37, 38 and 39. In this example, example combinations of the three different transmission channels 37, 38 and 39 represented (e.g. specified) by a radio transmission channel parameter are: transmission channel 37 or transmission channel 38 or transmission channel 39 or transmission channels 37 and 38 or transmission channels 37 and 39 or transmission channels 38 and 39 or transmission channels 37, 38 and 39. If the radio transmission channel parameter is not used, one or more default transmission channels or one or more arbitrary transmission channels may be used.

As disclosed above, a configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices may be understood to represent (e.g. specify) one or more radio transmission parameters of the one or more radio positioning support devices. Accordingly, a configuration (e.g. a predefined configuration) of the one or more radio positioning support devices may represent (e.g. specify) any combination of a radio transmission power parameter and a radio transmission interval parameter. Examples of such configurations are: Configuration 1: radio transmission power parameter = OdBm, radio transmission interval parameter 1 Hz;

Configuration 2: radio transmission power parameter = OdBm, radio transmission interval parameter 10 Hz;

Configuration 3: radio transmission power parameter = -4 dBm, radio transmission interval parameter 1 Hz;

Furthermore, a configuration (e.g. a predefined configuration) of the one or more radio positioning support devices may represent (e.g. specify) any combination of a radio transmission power parameter and a radio transmission interval parameter and a radio transmission channel parameter. By additionally representing (e.g. specifying) a radio transmission channel parameter, different configurations for different radio transmission channels may be used simultaneously. This is for example advantageous to minimize interference and/or packet collisions for the best possible quality of positioning service. Examples of such configurations are:

Configuration 4: radio transmission power parameter = OdBm, radio transmission interval parameter=l Hz, radio transmission channel = 37;

Configuration 5: radio transmission power parameter = OdBm, radio transmission interval parameter=10 Hz, radio transmission channel = 38;

Configuration 6: radio transmission power parameter = -4 dBm, radio transmission interval parameter 1 Hz, radio transmission channel = 39;

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a plurality of mobile devices is within the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system, wherein the one or more mobile devices form a first subgroup of the plurality of mobile devices, and wherein further one or more mobile devices form a second subgroup of the plurality of mobile devices, and wherein the one or more mobile devices of the first subgroup are associated with a first radio positioning support mode and the one or more mobile devices of the second subgroup are associated with a second radio positioning support mode. In this exemplary embodiment, radio positioning support information may be determined or received that are indicative for the first radio positioning support mode and the second radio positioning support mode.

For example, the first radio positioning support mode and the second radio positioning support mode may be part of the plurality of predefined radio positioning support modes as disclosed above. Each radio positioning support mode of this plurality of predefined radio positioning support modes may be associated with a respective predefined configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices. Accordingly, the first radio positioning support mode may be associated with a first predefined configuration and the second radio positioning support mode may be associated with a second predefined configuration.

As disclosed above, these associations may be used for determining whether the one or more radio positioning support devices are to be reconfigured at least partially based on the received or determined radio positioning support mode information. If the configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices corresponds to (or, optionally, exceeds) the most demanding configuration of the first predefined configuration and the second predefined configuration, it may be determined that the one or more radio positioning support devices are not to be reconfigured. Otherwise, it may be determined that the one or more radio positioning support devices are to be reconfigured. Accordingly, reconfiguring the one or more radio positioning support devices may be understood to mean that the configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices is adapted such that it corresponds to the most demanding configuration of the first predefined configuration and the second predefined configuration.

The most demanding configuration of the first predefined configuration and the second predefined configuration may be understood to be the configuration of the first predefined configuration and the second predefined configuration which radio transmission parameters at least partially exceeds the radio transmission parameters specified by the other configuration. Alternatively, a sequence of the configurations of the plurality of predefined configurations may be predefined such that the sequence positions or sequence numbers of the first predefined configuration and the second predefined configuration defines which configuration is more demanding.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the method comprises:

if a predefined period of time has been lapsed since the one or more radio positioning support devices have been reconfigured and/or if the one or more mobile devices have left the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system, reconfiguring or causing reconfiguring the one or more radio positioning support devices such that the configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices corresponds to a default configuration.

Examples of such a predefined period of time may be 5 minutes, 30 minutes 1 hour, 6 hours or 12 hours.

The default configuration may be understood to be a predefined default configuration of the one or more radio positioning support devices. In particular, the default configuration may be one configuration of a plurality of predefined configurations. For example, the default configuration may be associated with lower energy consumption than the other configurations of this plurality of predefined configurations. This may be understood to mean that, if the one or more radio positioning support devices are configured according to this default configuration, the energy consumption of the or more radio positioning support devices is lower than if the one or more radio positioning support devices are configured according to any other configuration of this plurality of predefined configurations.

This is for example advantageous to minimize the energy consumption of the radio positioning support devices.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the one or more radio positioning support devices (e.g. all radio positioning support devices of the indoor radio positioning support system) are one of:

a Bluetooth beacon;

a Bluetooth beacon enabling Bluetooth low energy (BLE) mode; and

a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacon.

The beacons may comprise a Bluetooth and/or BLE radio interface, which includes at least a Bluetooth and/or BLE transmitter. The Bluetooth and/or BLE transmitter may also be a part of a Bluetooth and/or BLE transceiver. The Bluetooth and/or BLE radio interface may be configured to transmit Bluetooth and or BLE radio signals. Additionally, the Bluetooth and/or BLE radio interface may be configured to receive (e.g. detect) Bluetooth and/or BLE radio signals that are for example broadcast by other Bluetooth and/or BLE beacons. Accordingly, the radio positioning support signal transmitted by such a beacon may be a Bluetooth and/or BLE radio signal (e.g. a periodically transmitted Bluetooth and/or BLE advertisement signal containing and/or representing advertising data).

Such beacons can be easily installed at various installation positions and require little to no maintenance. For example, a plurality of beacons may be easily distributed across a certain area and may cover a certain area (e.g. the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system ) with radio signals transmitted (e.g. broadcasted) by the beacons. Also, Bluetooth technologies are supported by many mobile devices by default such as most smartphones, most tablet computers, most notebook computers, most smart watches and most smart bands, etc. Using Bluetooth beacons and/or BLE beacons may thus have the effect that the many mobile devices may use the indoor radio positioning support system without any adaptation of hardware. As a result, the approach may be globally scalable and have low maintenance and deployment costs. In addition, regarding positioning utilizing received signal strength (RSS) the end-user experience may be acceptable with these technologies, since a horizontal positioning accuracy of 2 to 3 meters as well as a high reliability in floor detection may be achieved. The beacons may be stand-alone devices or be integrated into or attached to some other device. For instance, a radio positioning support device may be a Bluetooth tag or token or a part thereof comprising such a beacon. Bluetooth beacons, in particular in low energy mode, require comparably little energy and the use of Bluetooth low energy may enable a positioning with limited energy consumption at all involved devices.

As mentioned above, many mobile devices already comprise Bluetooth receivers and/or BLE receivers. Thus, each of the above embodiments may have the effect that positioning solutions based on such beacons can be employed without any further hardware updates on the mobile device side. As an example, the mobile device may comprise a Bluetooth and/or BLE radio interface which includes at least a Bluetooth and/or BLE receiver. The Bluetooth and/or BLE receiver may also be a part of a Bluetooth and/or BLE transceiver. The Bluetooth and/or BLE radio interface may be configured to detect radio signals that are broadcast by Bluetooth and/or BLE beacons.

A Bluetooth beacon that is employed for the invention may be any kind of Bluetooth beacon complying with any present or future standard. The Bluetooth standards are specified by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group and are presently available under https://www.bluetooth.com/.

It is to be understood, however, that other types of radio positioning support devices than variations of Bluetooth beacons may be used as well, for instance tags or other devices that are configured to transmit ultra-wideband (UWB) signals or any wireless radio signals that might emerge in the future. For example, one or more radio positioning support devices of the one or more radio positioning support devices (e.g. all radio positioning support devices of the plurality of radio positioning support devices of the indoor radio positioning support system) may be an access point and/or a router of a wireless local area network (WLAN). Such an access point and/or router of a WLAN may comprise a WLAN radio interface, which for example includes a WLAN transceiver. The WLAN radio interface may be configured to transmit and/or receive (e.g. detect) WLAN radio signals. Accordingly, the radio positioning support signal transmitted by such an access point and/or router of a WLAN may be a WLAN radio signal (e.g. a periodically transmitted beacon signal containing and/or representing a service set identifier (SSID) of the WLAN of the access point and/or router), WLAN is for example specified by the standards of the IEEE 802.11 family (http://www.ieee.org/).

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises:

if the one or more radio positioning support devices have been reconfigured, updating or causing updating a radio map representing the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system .

A radio map representing the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system may be understood to be a representation of the (e.g. expected) coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system. For example, such a radio map may represent the (e.g. fixed) installation positions of the radio positioning support devices of the indoor radio positioning support system and (e.g.

expected) radio coverages associated with the radio positioning support devices of the indoor radio positioning support system .

The (e.g. expected) radio coverage associated with a radio positioning support device may describe (e.g. define) the area within which a radio signal (e.g. a radio positioning support signal) transmitted or triggered to be transmitted by the radio positioning support devices is (e.g. expected to be) observable (e.g. receivable with a minimum quality).

For example, the radio map representing the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system may contain or represent a respective radio coverage model for each radio positioning support device of the indoor radio positioning support system. Therein, a radio coverage model for a radio positioning support device may be understood to represent the expected radio coverage associated with this radio positioning support device.

A radio coverage model may represent an estimate of a two-dimensional or a three-dimensional coverage map. It may describe (e.g. define) the expected radio coverage (e.g. an expected coverage area) of a radio positioning support device within which a radio positioning support signal transmitted or triggered to be transmitted by the radio positioning support device (e.g. installed at an installation position) is expected to be observable. The real radio coverage of the radio positioning support device may however deviate from such an expected radio coverage. As disclosed above, a radio positioning support signal may be understood to be observable at a specific position and/or in a specific area if the radio positioning support signal is receivable with a minimum quality (e.g. a minimum signal-to-noise ratio and/or a minimum signal power) at this specific position and/or within this specific area. A radio coverage model may be a hard-boundary model or a soft-boundary model (e.g. a hard-boundary model or a soft-boundary model describing an expected radio coverage).

An example for a soft-boundary radio coverage model may be a parametric radio model. Data of such a parametric radio model may be considered to be data which enable determination of one or more characteristics of one or more radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) transmitted or triggered to be transmitted by a radio positioning support device that are expected to be observable at different positions. For example, data of such a parametric radio model may represent radio transmission parameters of the parametric radio model. Using radio transmission parameters of the parametric radio model may have the effect that the required amount of data for defining the one or more characteristics of one or more radio signals may be particularly small. An example of a parametric radio model is a path loss model for radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) transmitted or triggered to be transmitted by a radio positioning support device. In this case, the radio transmission parameters may comprise a path loss exponent and an indication of a transmission power used by the transmitter of the radio positioning support device. Based on data of a parametric radio model an expected radio coverage of a radio positioning support device installed at a (potential) installation position may be determined.

An example for a hard-boundary radio coverage model may be a geometric model. Data of such a geometric radio model may be considered to be data which represent parameters (e.g. geometrically) describing (e.g. defining) an expected radio coverage of a radio positioning support device (e.g.

installed at an installation position).

Using such geometric models has the effect that the radio coverage model is very simple, only requires a small amount of data and is easy to analyze. The installation position of a radio positioning support device may be within the geometric model, for example it may be at the center of the geometric model. The perimeter and/or the circumferences and/or the surface of the geometric model may for example describe (e.g. define) a boundary of an expected radio coverage (e.g. an area and/or a spatial dimension) of the radio positioning support device within which radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) transmitted or triggered to be transmitted by the radio positioning support device are expected to be observable (e.g. receivable with a minimum quality such as a minimum signal-to-noise ratio and/or a minimum signal power). Outside of the perimeter and/or the circumferences and/or the surface, radio signals transmitted or triggered to be transmitted by the radio positioning support device are for example expected to be not observable (e.g. only receivable with a quality less than a minimum quality such as a minimum signal-to-noise ratio and/or a minimum signal power). Examples for such a geometric model are a polygon, a rectangle and/or a square, a cuboid and/or a cube, an ellipse and/or a circle, an ellipsoid and/or a sphere. Parameters of a geometric model of a radio coverage of a radio positioning support device are for example a diameter, a radius and/or an edge length of the geometric model. For example, the parameters of the geometric model may be selected from a list of parameters according to a predetermined mapping with one or more radio transmission parameters associated of the radio positioning support device. For example, an edge length of 16 m is selected for a square as geometric model of an (e.g. expected) radio coverage of a radio positioning support device having a radio transmission power of 0 dBm and a path loss exponent of 4.

As disclosed above, learning data like fingerprint data are collected in a learning stage to generate radio coverage area models of the radio positioning support devices of the indoor radio positioning support system and/or a radio map representing the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system for positioning purposes. The data may be collected in the form of fingerprint observation reports that are based on measurements by mobile devices. Alternatively or additionally the data may be collected in the form of fingerprint observation reports that are based on measurements by radio positioning support devices of the indoor radio positioning support system. A fingerprint observation report may contain a location estimate and measurements taken from the radio interface. The location estimate may be for example GNSS based, sensor-based, or manually inputted. Measurements taken from the radio interface may comprise, by way of example, measured radio signal strengths and an identification of Bluetooth beacons transmitting the radio signals.

Since these measurements may be outdated if the one or more radio positioning support devices have been reconfigured, it may be necessary to update the radio map representing the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system . Updating the radio map representing the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system may be understood to mean to collect new learning data like new fingerprint data (e.g. fingerprint observation reports) that are for example based one

measurement which have been performed after reconfiguring the one or more radio positioning support devices. Based on the new learning data updated radio coverage area models of the reconfigured one or more radio positioning support devices and/or an updated radio map representing the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system may be generated.

Causing updating the radio map representing the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system may be understood to mean that the updating the radio map representing the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system is controlled, for example by determining and transmitting control information to one or more mobile devices (e.g. certain mobile devices) and/or one or more radio positioning support devices of the one or more radio positioning support devices (e.g. all or certain radio positioning support devices of the indoor radio positioning support system) which cause them to collect new learning data like new fingerprint data. According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the indoor radio positioning support system comprises a plurality of radio positioning support devices, wherein the one or more radio positioning support devices are part of the plurality of radio positioning support devices.

For example, the one or more radio positioning support devices may form or may be part of a subgroup of the plurality of radio positioning support devices. This is for example advantageous if not all radio positioning support devices of the plurality of radio positioning support devices can be reconfigured.

A subgroup of one or more radio positioning support devices may for example be part of or form a Personal Area Network (PAN, e.g. a PAN as specified in IEEE 802.15.4-2011 which is available from http://www.ieee.Org/l and/or a group (e.g. a cluster) of radio positioning support devices. The plurality of radio positioning support devices may comprise more than one PAN and/or more than one subgroup of radio positioning support devices.

The one or more radio positioning support devices of such a subgroup or PAN may for example be adjacent radio positioning support devices which are installed at installations positions of a certain section of the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system, wherein the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system may be divided into a plurality of such sections.

Accordingly, each section of this plurality of sections may represent a subarea of the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system. This is for example advantageous to enable adapting the configuration of the plurality of radio positioning support devices only in sections of the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system where the one or more mobile devices are located which require or are expected to require such an adaptation.

Any radio positioning support device of a PAN and/or a subgroup may be nominated as PAN and/or subgroup coordinator which is responsible for coordinating the PAN and/or the subgroup, for example by controlling the radio transmission parameters of the radio positioning support devices of the PAN and/or the subgroup. In particular, the PAN and/or group coordinator may adapt and/or cause adapting and/or may be configured to adapt and/or may be configured to cause adapting the radio transmission parameters of the radio positioning support devices of the PAN and/or the group. For example, all radio positioning support devices of a PAN and/or a group may use the same transmission parameters. As disclosed above, the apparatus performing the method may for example be a radio positioning support device that is nominated as PAN and/or subgroup coordinator. This for example allows a decentralized control of the radio positioning support devices.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, each radio positioning support device of the one or more radio positioning support devices is installed at a fixed installation position. For example, each radio positioning support device of the plurality of radio positioning support devices as disclosed above is installed at a fixed installation position. A radio positioning support device may be understood to be installed at a fixed installation position if (or as long as) the position at which the radio positioning support device is operated (e.g. transmits radio signals, e.g. radio positioning support signals) does not change.

The features and example embodiments of the invention described above may equally pertain to the different aspects according to the present invention.

It is to be understood that the presentation of the invention in this section is merely by way of examples and non-limiting.

Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not drawn to scale and that they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a radio positioning support device according to the invention;

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a system according to the

invention;

Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method according to the invention;

Fig. 5 is a schematic illustration of examples of tangible and non-transitory storage media according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The following description serves to deepen the understanding of the present invention and shall be understood to complement and be read together with the description of example embodiments of the invention as provided in the above SUMMARY section of this specification.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention. In the following, it is assumed that the apparatus is a server 100 for an indoor radio positioning support system.

Server 100 comprises a processor 101. Processor 101 may represent a single processor or two or more processors, which are for instance at least partially coupled, for instance via a bus. Processor 101 executes a program code stored in program memory 102 (for instance program code causing server 100 to perform one or more of the embodiments of a method (or parts thereof according to the invention (as for instance further described below with reference to Fig. 4), when executed on processor 101), and interfaces with a main memory 103. Some or all of memories 102 and 103 may also be included into processor 101. One of or both of memories 102 and 103 may be fixedly connected to processor 101 or at least partially removable from processor 101, for instance in the form of a memory card or stick. Program memory 102 may for instance be a non-volatile memory. It may for instance be a FLASH memory (or a part thereof), any of a ROM, PROM, EPROM, MRAM or a FeRAM (or a part thereof) or a hard disc (or a part thereof), to name but a few examples. Program memory 102 may also comprise an operating system for processor 101. Program memory 102 may for instance comprise a first memory portion that is fixedly installed in server 100 , and a second memory portion that is removable from server 100, for instance in the form of a removable SD memory card.

Main memory 103 may for instance be a volatile memory. It may for instance be a DRAM memory, to give non-limiting example. It may for instance be used as a working memory for processor 101 when executing an operating system and/or programs.

Processor 101 further controls a radio interface 104 configured to transmit and/or output data and/or information. For instance, radio interface 104 may be configured to transmit radio signals to a beacon (e.g. beacon 200 as described below with respect to Fig. 2). For this, the radio interface 104 may at least comprise a BLE radio interface including at least a BLE transmitter (TX). It is to be understood that the BLE transmitter may optionally be a part of a BLE transceiver or that radio interface 105 may optionally comprise a BLE receiver (RX). It is to be understood that any computer program code based processing required for transmitting (and optionally receiving) BLE signals may be stored in an own memory of the radio interface 104 and executed by an own processor of the radio interface 104 or it may be stored for example in memory 103 and executed for example by processor 101. Moreover, processor 101 may control a further optional communication interface 105 which is for example configured to allow communication according to a 2G/3G/4G/5G cellular communication system and/or a non-cellular communication system, such as for example a WLAN network. The 2G/3G/4G/5G cellular communication standards are specified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and are presently available under http://www.3gpp.org/. Alternatively or additionally, communication interface 105 may be a network interface configured to allow communication according to a wired communication system like a local area network (LAN), for example an Ethernet network. Ethernet is for example specified by the standards of the IEEE 802.3 family (http://www.ieee.org/).

The components 102 to 105 of serverlOO may for instance be connected with processor 101 by means of one or more serial and/or parallel busses.

It is to be understood that server 100 may comprise various other components. For example, server 100 may optionally comprise a user interface (e.g. a touch-sensitive display, a keyboard, a touchpad, a display, etc.).

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a radio positioning support device according to the invention. In the following, it is assumed that the radio positioning support device is a beacon 200

Beacon 200 comprises a processor 201. Processor 201 may represent a single processor or two or more processors, which are for instance at least partially coupled, for instance via a bus. Processor 201 executes a program code stored in memory 202 (for instance program code causing beacon 200 to perform one or more of the embodiments of a method (or parts thereof) according to the invention (as for instance further described below with reference to Fig. 4). Some or all of memory 202 may also be included into processor 201. Memory 202 may for instance be a volatile or non-volatile memory. It may for instance be a RAM or DRAM memory. It may for instance be a FLASH memory (or a part thereof), any of a ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, MRAM or a FeRAM (or a part thereof) and/or a hard disc (or a part thereof), to name but a few examples. It may for instance be used as a working memory for processor 201 when executing an operating system and/or programs. Memory 202 may also comprise an operating system for processor 201. Memory 202 may for instance comprise a first memory portion that is fixedly installed in beacon 200, and a second memory portion that is removable from beacon 200, for instance in the form of a removable SD memory card.

Processor 201 further controls a BLE radio interface 203 configured to receive and/or output data and/or information. For instance, BLE radio interface 203 may at least comprise a BLE radio interface including a BLE transmiter (TX) and a BLE receiver (RX). The transmiter and receiver may also be part of a BLE transceiver (TRX). Without limiting the scope of the invention, it is assumed in the following that BLE radio interface 203 is or comprises a BLE transceiver.

The BLE receiver enables beacon 200 to receive radio signals in line with any current or future version of the Bluetooth standard supporting a low energy mode.

Likewise, the BLE transmitter enables beacon 200 to transmit radio signals in line with any current or future version of the Bluetooth standard supporting a low energy mode. The BLE transmitter may be configured to transmit radio signals (e.g. the radio positioning support signals). Therein, one or more radio transmission parameters with which the radio signals (e.g. the radio positioning support signals) are transmitted by the BLE transmitter may be adaptable such that beacon 200 is reconfigurable by adapting the one or more transmission parameters. As disclosed above in more detail, the one or more radio transmission parameters are for example a radio transmission power parameter or a radio transmission interval parameter or a radio transmission channel parameter or a combination thereof.

, Furthermore, the BLE transmitted may be configured to transmit radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) according to different configurations, for example by multiplexing.

A plurality of configurations of beacon 200 may be predefined, wherein each configuration of the plurality of predefined configurations may represent (e.g. specify) the one or more radio transmission parameters. In the following, it is assumed that the plurality of predefined configurations comprises the following configurations:

Configuration 1: radio transmission power parameter = OdBm, radio transmission interval parameter 1 Hz;

Configuration 1 may be the default configuration of beacon 200.

It is to be understood that any computer program code based processing required for receiving and transmitting BLE signals may be stored in an own memory of the BLE radio interface 203 and executed by an own processor of the BLE radio interface 203 or it may be stored for example in memory 202 and executed for example by processor 201. For example, a representation of the plurality of predefined configurations (e.g. Configurations 1 to 3) may for example be stored in memory 202 or in the own memory of the BLE radio interface 203.

Beacon 200 may be a Bluetooth beacon, a Bluetooth beacon enabling Bluetooth low energy mode, and a Bluetooth low energy beacon. Accordingly, the radio signals transmitted by beacon 200 may be a Bluetooth and/or BLE radio signal (e.g. a periodically transmitted Bluetooth and/or BLE advertisement signal containing and/or representing advertising data).

It is to be understood that beacon 200 may comprise various other components. For example, beacon 200 may additionally comprise a network interface configured to receive network signals via a wired (e.g. a landline) communication path.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a system 300 according to the invention.

System 300 at least partially illustrates an indoor radio positioning support system of a positioning solution for a predetermined indoor environment such as a building and/or a complex of buildings (e.g. a shopping center, a parking garage, an airport, a company site, a warehouse, etc.). System 300 may for example be in the positioning stage. System 300 comprises beacons 200-1, 200-2 and 200-3 which have been fixedly installed at respective installation positions in the predetermined environment. Beacons 200-to 200-3 may correspond to beacon 200 as described above with respect to Fig. 2. Optionally, system 300 may comprise further beacons (not shown). For example, beacons 200-1 to 200-3 may be beacons of a plurality of beacons that are installed in the predetermined indoor environment. Beacons 200-1 to 200-3 may for example be adjacent beacons of such a plurality of beacons. Furthermore, beacons 200-1 to 200-3 may be part of or may form a subgroup of the plurality of beacons, for example beacons 200-1 to 200-3 may be part of or may form PAN. In the following, reference is only made to beacons 200-1 to 200-3 without limiting the scope of the invention.

Furthermore, system 300 comprises server 100 as described above with respect to Fig. 1. Server 100 may be a management server for the beacon devices 200-1 to 200-3, for example server 100 may be a management server for all beacon devices of the indoor radio positioning support system. Accordingly, server 100 may be configured to communicate at least with beacons 200-1 to 200-3 (e.g. by radio interface 104 and/or optional communication interface 105). Furthermore, server 100 may optionally be configured to provide radio maps and indoor positioning services to mobile devices within the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system 300 like mobile devices 301 and 302. To this end, server 100 may optionally be configured to communicate with mobile devices 301 and 302 (e.g. by optional communication interface 105). Without limiting the scope of the invention, mobile device 301 is carried by a pedestrian; and mobile device 302 is part of a forklift. For example, mobile device 301 is a smartphone and mobile device 302 is a navigation device for installation in a vehicle. It is to be understood that mobile devices 301 and 302 may be part of a plurality of mobile devices (not shown) that are within the within the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system 300.

As exemplary shown in Fig. 3, server 100 may not communicate directly with beacons 200-1 to 200-3, but via optional hub 303. It is to be understood that more than a plurality of such optional hubs (not shown) may be installed in the coverage area of system 300.

Optional hub 303 may be installed within the coverage area of beacon devices 200-1 to 200-3 and may be configured for Bluetooth communication with beacons 200-1 to 200-3 (e.g. via communication paths 304 to 306) and for communication according to a 2G/3G/4G/5G cellular communication system and/or a WLAN system with server 100 (e.g. via communication paths 307). To this end, hub 303 may for example comprise a BLE radio interface (e.g. including a BLE transmitter (TX) and a BLE receiver (RX) or a BLE transceiver (TRX)) and a further 2G/3G/4G/5G and/or WLAN communication interface. For example, beacons 200-1 to 200-3 may periodically transmit status information (e.g. containing or representing their respective battery states and/or their current configuration). These status information may be received by hub 300 (e.g. via communication paths 304 to 306) and forwarded to server 100 (e.g. via communication paths 307). Although all communication paths in Fig. 3 are shown as wireless communication paths (e.g. communication paths of a wireless communication network like a WLAN and/or a Bluetooth network), it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such wireless communication paths. Alternatively or additionally, one or more (e.g. all) of the

communication paths shown in Fig. 3 may at least partially be wired communication paths (e.g.

communication paths of a wired communication network like an Ethernet network).

Beacons 200-1 to 200-3 automatically and repeatedly transmit radio positioning support signals containing positioning support data. Furthermore, beacons 200-1 to 200-3 may transmit the radio positioning support signals with the same radio transmission parameters, for example with the radio transmission parameters as specified by one predefined configuration of the plurality of predefined configurations (e.g. Configuration 1) as disclosed above. The positioning support data are for example configured to enable one or more mobile devices (e.g. mobile devices 301 and 302) receiving the radio positioning support signals to estimate their position at least partially based on these positioning support data and a radio map (e.g. a radio map provided by server 100). For different use cases, different transmission parameters may however be required to ensure an expected quality of the positioning services such that the one or more mobile devices (e.g. mobile devices 301 and 302) are enabled to estimate their position with a sufficient accuracy and/or a sufficient rate (i.e. an accuracy or rate that is sufficient for the respective use case). For example, the higher the dynamics of a mobile device, the higher the positioning update rate needs to be. While pedestrian is happy with low positioning update rate, a fast moving forklift in the same indoor environment (e.g. a warehouse) requires a much higher positioning update rate to experience a similar quality of positioning service (e.g. in terms of positioning accuracy and latency). As an example: a 1 Hz positioning update rate may be required for a mobile device used by pedestrians like mobile device 301 such that a radio transmission interval of 1 Hz would be sufficient for this use case; a higher positioning update rate of 10 Hz may be required for a navigation device of a vehicle moving fast in an indoor environment like mobile device 302 such that a radio transmission interval of 10 Hz would be sufficient for this use case.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart 400 illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method according to the invention. Without limiting the scope of the invention, it is assumed in the following that server 100 of system 300 as described above with respect to Figs. 1 and 3 performs steps 401 to 403 of flow chart 400.

In a step 401, radio positioning support mode information that are indicative for a radio positioning support mode associated with mobile device 301 and/or mobile device 302 within the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system 300 are received or determined.

As disclosed above, determining the radio positioning support mode information may be performed according to predefined rules (e.g. a predefined algorithm) or predefined associations or a combination thereof. For example, the radio positioning support mode information is determined at least partially based on speed information indicative for a speed associated with mobile device 301 and/or mobile device 302. Therein, the speed information may for example represent the speed associated with mobile device 301 and/or mobile device 302. As disclosed above, the speed associated with such a mobile device may be an average speed or a maximum speed or an expected speed.

Without limiting the scope of the invention, it is assumed in the following that the radio positioning support mode information is received in step 401. Receiving the radio positioning support mode information may be understood to mean that the radio positioning support mode information is received by communication interface 105. For example, the radio positioning support mode information may be at least partially received from mobile device 301 and/or from mobile device 302. Alternatively or additionally, the radio positioning support mode information may be at least partially received from another entity like a control system (e.g. a control system for mobile devices). The radio positioning support mode indicated by the radio positioning support mode information may be one radio positioning support mode of a plurality of predefined radio positioning support modes. Furthermore, the radio positioning support mode indicated by the radio positioning support mode information may be associated with one configuration of the plurality of predefined configurations (e.g. Configurations 1 to 3 as disclosed above] of beacons 200-1 to 200-3 of indoor radio positioning support system 300. Different radio positioning support modes of this plurality of predefined radio positioning support modes may be associated with different configurations of this plurality of predefined configurations. A radio positioning support mode may be understood to be associated with one or more mobile devices (e.g. mobile device 301 or mobile device 302) if the one or more mobile devices require or are expected to require the configuration associated with the radio positioning support mode for (e.g. sufficiently) estimating their position (e.g. with a sufficient accuracy and/or a sufficient rate). The associations between the radio positioning support modes of the plurality of predefined radio positioning support modes and the configurations of the plurality of predefined configurations may be predefined as well. For example, a representation of the plurality of predefined configurations and of the plurality of predefined radio positioning support modes and of these predefined associations may be stored in memory 102, for example in the form of a database.

It is to be understood that the radio positioning support mode information may be indicative for more than one radio positioning support mode. For example, the radio positioning support mode information received in step 401 may be indicative for a first radio positioning support mode associated with mobile device 301 and/or for a second radio positioning support mode associated with mobile device 302. As exemplary disclosed above: a 1 Hz positioning update rate may be required for a mobile device used by pedestrians like mobile device 301 such that a radio transmission interval of 1 Hz would be sufficient for this use case; a higher positioning update rate of 10 Hz may be required for a navigation device of a vehicle moving fast in an indoor environment like mobile device 302 such that a radio transmission interval of 10 Hz would be sufficient for this use case. Accordingly, the first radio positioning support mode is for example associated with one configuration specifying a radio transmission interval of 1 Hz like Configuration 1 (e.g. the default configuration of beacons 200-1 to 200-3) as disclosed above, and the second radio positioning support mode is for example associated with one configuration specifying a radio transmission interval of 10 Hz like Configuration 2 as disclosed above. Mobile device 301 and mobile device 302 are thus part of different subgroups of the plurality of mobile devices that are within the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system 300. In a step 402, it is determined whether the one or more radio positioning support devices are to be reconfigured at least partially based on the received or determined radio positioning support mode information.

Determining, at least partially based on the received or determined radio positioning support mode information, whether the one or more radio positioning support devices are to be reconfigured may be understood to mean that the received radio positioning support mode information is at least partially used for determining whether the one or more radio positioning support devices are to be reconfigured. For example, it may be determined in step 402 whether the present configuration of beacons 200-1 to 200-3 corresponds to the (e.g. most demanding) configuration that is associated with the radio positioning support mode(s) indicated by the radio positioning support mode information received in step 401. If the present configuration of beacons 200-1 to 200-3 corresponds to the (e.g. most demanding) configuration that is associated with the radio positioning support mode(s) indicated by the radio positioning support mode information received in step 401, it may be determined that the one or more radio positioning support devices are not to be reconfigured.

Considering the example disclosed above that the radio positioning support mode information received in step 401 is indicative for a first radio positioning support mode associated with mobile device 301 and/or for a second radio positioning support mode associated with mobile device 302, it may be determined in step 402 that the beacons 200-1 to 200-3 are not to be reconfigured if the present configuration of beacons 200-1 to 200-3 corresponds to the most demanding configuration of the configurations associated with the first radio positioning support mode (e.g. Configuration 1) and the second radio positioning support mode (e.g. Configuration 2). As an example, if beacons 200-1 to 200-3 are currently configured according to Configuration 1 which may be the default configuration of beacons 200-1 to 200-3 as disclosed above and the radio positioning support mode information received in step 401 is indicative for both the first radio positioning support mode associated with mobile device 301 and associated with Configuration 1 and the second radio positioning support mode associated with mobile device 302 and associated with Configuration 2, it may be determined in step 402 that beacons 200-1 to 200-3 are to be reconfigured, because Configuration 2 (i.e. the most demanding configuration) exceeds Configuration 1 (i.e. the radio transmission interval parameter specified by Configuration 2 exceeds the radio transmission interval parameter specified by

Configuration 1).

If it is determined in step 402 that beacons 200-1 to 200-3 are to be reconfigured, flow chart 400 is continued with a step 403. Otherwise, flow chart 400 may be exited. In step 403, the one or more radio positioning support devices are reconfigured or caused to be reconfigured.

As disclosed above, reconfiguring beacons 200-1 to 200-3 may involve adapting the configuration of the beacons 200-1 to 200-3 by adapting one or more radio transmission parameters of the beacons 200-1 to 200-3. For example, beacons 200-1 to 200-3 may be reconfigured in step 403 by adapting the radio transmission parameters of beacons 200-1 to 200-3 such that these radio transmission parameters corresponds to the radio transmission parameters specified by the configuration (or the most demanding configuration) associated with the radio positioning support mode(s) indicated by the radio positioning support mode information received or determined in step 401. Causing reconfiguring beacons 200-1 to 200-3 may be understood to mean that the reconfiguring the beacons 200-1 to 200-3 is controlled, for example by determining and transmitting control information to beacons 200-1 to 200-3 which cause beacons 200-1 to 200-3 to reconfigure themselves.

Considering the above example, if it is determined in step 402 that beacons 200-1 to 200-3 are to be reconfigured, because beacons 200-1 to 200-3 are currently configured according to Configuration 1 as disclosed above and the radio positioning support mode information received in step 401 is indicative for both the first radio positioning support mode associated with mobile device 301 and associated with Configuration 1 and the second radio positioning support mode associated with mobile device 302 and associated with Configuration 2: beacons 200-1 to 200-3 may be caused to be reconfigured according to Configuration 2 in step 403. For example, server 100 may transmit control information to beacons 200-1 to 200-3, wherein the control information may be configured to cause beacons 200-1 to 200-3 to reconfigure themselves by adapting their radio transmission parameters to the radio transmission parameters specified by Configuration 2. Alternatively or additionally, reconfiguring beacons 200-1 to 200-3 may mean that, in addition to the current configuration of beacons 200-1 to 200-3, another configuration of beacons 200-1 to 200-3 is activated. According to this embodiment, beacons 200-1 to 200-3 may be caused to additionally activate Configuration 2 in step 403. For example, server 100 may transmit control information to beacons 200-1 to 200-3, wherein the control information may be configured to cause beacons 200-1 to 200-3 to additionally activate Configuration 2 such that beacons 200-1 to 200-3 transmit radio signals (e.g. radio positioning support signals) according to both configurations (i.e. Configuration 1 and Configuration 2).

Moreover, as soon as mobile device 2 leaves the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system 300 such that for example only mobile device 1 remains in the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system 300, beacons 200-1 to beacons 200-3 may be reconfigured or caused to be reconfigured according to the default configuration (e.g. Configuration 1). For example, if a predefined period of time has been lapsed since the one or more radio positioning support devices have been reconfigured or caused to be reconfigured in step 403, beacons 200-1 to 200-3 may return or may be caused to return to the default configuration (e.g. Configuration 1) and/or to deactivate any other configuration (e.g. Configuration 2). Alternatively or additionally, the method of flow chart may be continuously repeated. Then, as soon as mobile device 2 leaves the coverage area of the indoor radio positioning support system 300, the radio positioning support mode information received in (repeated) step 401 may be only indicative for the first radio positioning support mode which is associated with Configuration 1 as disclosed above. Accordingly, it may be determined in (repeated) step 402 that beacons 200-1 to 200-3 are to be reconfigured and, in (repeated) step 403, beacons 200-1 to 200-3 may be caused to be reconfigured accordingly.

Fig. 5 is a schematic illustration of examples of tangible and non-transitory computer-readable storage media according to the present invention that may for instance be used to implement program memory 102 of Fig. 1 or memory 202 of Fig. 2. To this end, Fig. 5 displays a flash memory 500, which may for instance be soldered or bonded to a printed circuit board, a solid-state drive 501 comprising a plurality of memory chips (e.g. Flash memory chips), a magnetic hard drive 502, a Secure Digital (SD) card 503, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory stick 504, an optical storage medium 505 (such as for instance a CD-ROM or DVD) and a magnetic storage medium 506.

Any presented connection in the described embodiments is to be understood in a way that the involved components are operationally coupled. Thus, the connections can be direct or indirect with any number or combination of intervening elements, and there may be merely a functional relationship between the components.

Any of the processors mentioned in this text, in particular but not limited to processors 101 and 201 of Figs. 1 and 2, could be a processor of any suitable type. Any processor may comprise but is not limited to one or more microprocessors, one or more processor(s) with accompanying digital signal processor(s), one or more processor(s) without accompanying digital signal processor(s), one or more special-purpose computer chips, one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAS), one or more controllers, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICS), or one or more computer(s). The relevant structure/hardware has been programmed in such a way to carry out the described function.

Moreover, any of the actions described or illustrated herein may be implemented using executable instructions in a general-purpose or special-purpose processor and stored on a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., disk, memory, or the like) to be executed by such a processor. References to 'computer-readable storage medium' should be understood to encompass specialized circuits such as FPGAs, ASICs, signal processing devices, and other devices. The wording "A, or B, or C, or a combination thereof' or "at least one of A, B and C” may be understood to be not exhaustive and to include at least the following; (i) A, or (ii) B, or (iii) C, or (iv) A and B, or (v)

A and C, or (vi] B and C, or (vii) A and B and C.

It will be understood that all presented embodiments are only exemplary, and that any feature presented for a particular exemplary embodiment may be used with any aspect of the invention on its own or in combination with any feature presented for the same or another particular exemplary embodiment and/or in combination with any other feature not mentioned. It will further be understood that any feature presented for an example embodiment in a particular category may also be used in a corresponding manner in an example embodiment of any other category.

Claims

C l a i m s

1. A method for reconfiguring one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3) of an indoor radio positioning support system (300), said method comprising:

receiving or determining (401) radio positioning support mode information that are indicative for an radio positioning support mode associated with one or more mobile devices (301, 302) within a coverage area of said indoor radio positioning support system (300);

determining (402) whether said one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3) are to be reconfigured at least partially based on said received or determined radio positioning support mode information; and

if it is determined that said one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3) are to be reconfigured, reconfiguring or causing reconfiguring (403) said one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said radio positioning support mode indicated by said received or determined radio positioning support mode is one radio positioning support mode of a plurality of predefined radio positioning support modes.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein each radio positioning support mode of said plurality of predefined radio positioning support modes is associated with a respective predefined configuration of said one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3).

4. The method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said radio positioning support mode

indicated by said radio positioning support mode information depends at least partially on a speed associated with said one or more mobile devices (301, 302).

5. The method according to any of claim 1 to 4, wherein said radio positioning support mode

information is determined at least partially based on speed information indicative for a speed associated with said one or more mobile devices (301, 302).

6. The method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein said reconfiguring said one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3) comprises:

adapting one or more radio transmission parameters of said one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3).

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said one or more radio transmission parameters comprise a radio transmission power parameter or a radio transmission interval parameter or a radio transmission channel parameter or a combination thereof

8. The method according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein said indoor radio positioning support system (300) comprises a plurality of radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3), and wherein said one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3) are part of said plurality of radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3).

9. The method according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein said one or more radio positioning support devices are one of:

a Bluetooth beacon;

a Bluetooth beacon enabling Bluetooth low energy mode;

a Bluetooth low energy beacon; and

an access point of a wireless local area network.

10. The method according to any of claims 1 to 9, said method further comprising:

if said one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3) have been reconfigured, updating or causing updating a radio map representing said coverage area of said indoor radio positioning support system (300).

11. The method according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein each radio positioning support device of said one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3) is installed at a fixed installation position.

12. The method according to any of claims 1 and 11, wherein said method is performed by an

apparatus (100).

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said apparatus is or is part of a radio positioning support device of said one or more radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3) or a server (100) of said indoor radio positioning support system (300) or a hub (303) of said indoor radio positioning support system (300).

14. A computer program code, said computer program code when executed by a processor (101) causing an apparatus (100) to perform the method according to any of claims 1 to 13.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium (500-506) in which computer program code is stored, the computer program code when executed by a processor (101) causing at least one apparatus (100) to perform the method according to any of claims 1 to 13.

16. An apparatus, said apparatus (100) comprising means (101-105) for performing the method according to any of claims 1 to 13.

17. An apparatus, said apparatus (100) comprising at least one processor (101) and at least one memory (102, 103) including computer program code, the at least one memory (102, 103) and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor (101), cause said apparatus (100) at least to perform the method according to any of claims 1 to 13.

18. An indoor radio positioning support system (300), comprising:

a plurality of radio positioning support devices (200-1, 200-2, 200-3); and

an apparatus (100) according to any of claims 16 and 17.