Devices and methods for sending or receiving assistance data

Abstract

A device for use in a mobile communication user equipment, UE, includes processing circuitry to: receive cell data pertaining to a plurality of assistance data cells, and receive offset information, wherein the offset information describes respective LTE frame offsets between an assistance data reference cell and each of a plurality of neighbour cells. A location server to provide positioning assistance data to a user equipment, UE, comprises processing circuitry to: determine offset information describing respective LTE frame time offsets between an assistance data reference cell and each of a plurality of neighbour cells.

1 . A device for use in a mobile communication user equipment, UE, the device comprising processing circuitry to:
 receive cell data pertaining to a plurality of assistance data cells, and   receive offset information, wherein   the plurality of assistance data cells includes an assistance data reference cell and a plurality of neighbour cells,   the cell data includes:
 (i) information to describe timings of positioning reference signals, PRSs, of the assistance data reference cell, and 
 (ii) neighbour information, the neighbour information to describe timings, relative to the assistance data reference cell, of positioning reference signals, PRSs, of the plurality of neighbour cells, and wherein the offset information describes respective LTE frame offsets between the assistance data reference cell and each of the neighbour cells. 
   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein a serving cell of the UE is the assistance data reference cell or one of the plurality of neighbour cells. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry is further to determine a time window relative to a serving cell timing for measuring a PRS receive timing of an assistance data cell other than the serving cell based on the cell data and the offset information. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the serving cell is different from the assistance data reference cell; and   the neighbour cell has PRS muting enabled.   
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 when the UE has one or more serving cells, and none of the serving cells is configured to transmit positioning reference signals, the processing circuitry is further to determine a time window for measuring a PRS receive timing of an assistance data cell that is not one of the serving cells based on the neighbour information and the offset information.   
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein when the serving cell belongs to a first carrier frequency, and the reference cell and at least one of the other assistance data cells belong to a second carrier frequency different from the first carrier frequency, the processing circuitry is further to perform inter-frequency RSTD measurements on the second carrier frequency based on the cell data and the offset information. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the offset information is to be received in an information element that replaces or updates an information element specified within 3GPP TS 36.355. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 7 , wherein the cell data and offset information are received in the same information element. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 7 , wherein the replaced or updated information element is an OTDOA-NeighbourCellInfoElement or the offset information replaces prs-SubframeOffset in the OTDOA-NeighbourCellInfoElement. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further to:
 perform RSTD measurements using received PRSs of at least some of the assistance data cells; and   generate a report based on the RSTD measurements, the report indicating the RSTD measurements relative to an RSTD reference cell, wherein   the RSTD reference cell is different from a serving cell of the UE.   
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is to receive assistance data, and either:
 the assistance data including the cell data and the offset information, or   the assistance data includes the cell data, and the offset information is to be received separately from the assistance data.   
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device is a user equipment further comprising one or more of: a screen, a speaker, a touchscreen, a keyboard, an antenna array including a plurality of antennas, a graphics processor, an application processor. 
     
     
         13 . A location server for use in a communication system, the device to provide positioning assistance data to a user equipment, UE, the device comprising processing circuitry to:
 determine information describing an assistance data reference cell;   determine cell data, the cell data to describe relative transmit timings of positioning reference signals between a plurality of neighbour cells;   determine offset information describing respective LTE frame time offsets between the assistance data reference cell and each of the neighbour cells; and   sending to the UE data including the information describing the assistance data reference cell, the cell data, and the offset information;   wherein the assistance data includes at least the information describing the assistance data reference cell and the cell data.   
     
     
         14 . The location server of  claim 13 , wherein the assistance data reference cell is not a serving cell of the UE. 
     
     
         15 . The location server of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the plurality of neighbour cells and the assistance data reference cell are assistance data cells;   a serving cell of the UE is one of the assistance data cells, and the serving cell of the UE belongs to a first carrier frequency;   at least one of the assistance data cells other than the serving cell belong to a second carrier frequency.   
     
     
         16 . A method performed by a user equipment, UE, the method comprising:
 receiving Observed Time of Difference Of Arrival, OTDOA, assistance data, the OTDOA assistance data including data indicative of timings of positioning reference signals, PRSs, for a plurality of neighbour cells, the timings indicated relative to a timing of an assistance data reference cell, wherein   receiving OTDOA assistance data includes receiving offset information, the offset information indicative of respective LTE frame offsets between the assistance data reference cell and the plurality of neighbour cells.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising determining a time window for measuring a PRS receive timing of an assistance data cell based on the data indicative of timings of PRSs and the offset information, wherein
 wherein the assistance data cell is the assistance data reference cell or a neighbour cell of the plurality of neighbour cells.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 performing RSTD measurements of one or more cells, the one or more cells selected from the neighbour cells and the assistance data reference cell; and   sending a report of the RSTD measurements, the report indicating the RSTD measurements relative to an RSTD reference cell, the RSTD reference cell selected from the one or more cells.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the RSTD reference cell is different from a serving cell of the UE. 
     
     
         20 . A method performed by a location server, the method comprising:
 receiving from a user equipment, UE, a request for Observed Time of Difference Of Arrival, OTDOA, assistance data;   generating the OTDOA assistance data; and   sending the generated OTDOA assistance data to the UE, wherein
 the OTDOA assistance data includes offset information describing LTE frame offsets between the assistance data reference cell and the plurality of neighbour cells. 
   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 selecting the assistance data reference cell, wherein the assistance data reference cell is selected to be different from a serving cell of the UE.   
     
     
         22 - 25 . (canceled)