In an embodiment, a user equipment (UE) tracks its location using a first positioning scheme (PS) (e.g., an indoor PS or outdoor PS) while operating inside or outside of an enclosed environment, whereby the UE maintains transition region information related to the enclosed environment that characterizes one or more outdoor-to-indoor (OI) and/or indoor-to-outdoor (IO) transition regions of the enclosed environment. If the UE determines it has entered a transition region of the enclosed environment based on its location tracking using the first PS, the UE begins to track its location using a second PS. When the quality of the second PS rises above a threshold (e.g., such as the UE moves further inside or outside of the enclosed environment), the UE can switch to the second PS and turn off the first PS.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a balloon-based positioning system and method. In one example embodiment, a system includes at least three balloons, with each balloon including a position-determining module (PDM) and a position-broadcasting module (PBM). Each PDM is configured for determining a position of the respective balloon and each PBM is configured for broadcasting a balloon signal containing balloon-positioning data of the respective balloon. The balloon-positioning data includes the determined position of the respective balloon and a corresponding time of broadcast.

Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) positioning. The method can include receiving from a serving cell of a first network assistance data for measuring time difference of arrival of positioning reference signals (PRSs) received from a plurality of neighboring cells of a second network, receiving from the serving cell a gap pattern for decoding a master information block (MIB) of a first neighboring cell of the plurality of neighboring cells, or a system frame number (SFN) offset of the first neighboring cell, and determining an SFN timing of the first neighboring cell based on the gap pattern for decoding the MIB of the first neighboring cell or the SFN offset of the first neighboring cell.

System and methods of deploying location tracking tags are provided. A device receives: identifiers of a plurality of tags fixed at locations in a physical space, each of the plurality of tags configured to broadcast: a respective identifier; and identifiers of respective neighboring tags of each of the plurality of tags. The device further receives respective locations of a subset of the plurality of tags. The device determines remaining respective locations of the plurality of tags not in the subset from: the respective locations of the plurality of tags in the subset and the identifiers of respective neighboring tags of each of the plurality of tags. The device can populate a memory and/or a database with the remaining respective locations of the plurality of tags not in the subset for use by a location tracking server.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a single positioning controller and a positioning control system. The single positioning controller includes: a sending module, configured to send a first positioning measurement request to a first access network node or a first terminal device; a receiving module, configured to receive at least one first positioning measurement result sent by the first access network node or the first terminal device; and a processing module, configured to perform fusion calculation on the at least one first positioning measurement result to obtain location information of the first terminal device.

The system (10) of FIG. 1 uses fixedly-located master and slave smartphone devices (12, 14) to determine a player position of a player (20) within playing arena, such as a tennis court. The master device (12) makes a local determination of the speed of sound using an audible ping to the slave device displaced from the master device by a known distance. The slave device (14) also responds with a time stamp associated with the receipt of one or more pings. Correlation over successive RF-reported time stamps allows the master device (12) to assess, relative to its own internal reference clock, a time offset and drift for a local clock in the slave device (14). A RF connection to a communications circuit and sensor (18) arrangement located in a racket held by a player permits the master device (12) to assess a time offset and drift for a local clock associated with the sensor. The sensor (18) further includes a gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetometer that cooperate to record movement or orientation of the racket, and which information is uplink reported over the RF connection to the master device. When an amplitude or modelled sound profile for a hit event (24) is detected by both the master and slave devices (12, 14) and the hit event time-stamped by the devices in the system and reported to the master by the communications circuits of the racket and slave units, the master unit is able to triangulate the position of the hit event relative to known dimensions of the playing arena. Continuous reporting of movement of the racket relative to the previous hit event can therefore be displayed to show movement of the player around the court relative to detected sound events.

Each of multiple entities has a respective attached mobile unit that transmits, periodically, a first radio message with identity information of the corresponding entity. At least three base stations receive the first radio message; and based thereon, forward, via a transmission line, the identity information and timing information indicating when the first radio message was received. A central unit communicatively connected to the at least one transmission line receives, via the transmission line, the identity and timing information from the base stations, and based thereon determines a position of the respective entity. Each mobile unit alters an energy density at which the first radio message is transmitted in response to a trigger input being generated depending on a position of the mobile unit relative to a stationary reference. Thus, the energy resources in the mobile units can be economized while attaining a desired positioning accuracy wherever needed.

A solution for providing differentiated positioning services in a wireless communication system is provided. For example, a method to be performed by a wireless device is provided, which includes requesting a high accuracy positioning information from the network, e.g., from a network node. The method further includes obtaining information from the network in response to the request, which is valid for a predefined period of time, and which enables the wireless device to obtain the high accuracy positioning information during the predefined period of time. The method further includes performing positioning or assisting performance of positioning based on the obtained high accuracy positioning information.

A system and method (10) are shown for providing a guided emergency exit to personnel (12) within a building (14), and includes the steps of: automatically determining the location of each of a plurality of wireless communication devices (22) within a building in response to an emergency, each of the communication devices being assigned to a person (12); determining an escape route (28) from the building for each of the communication devices based on the location of the communication device (22) and the available paths (20) from that location to a safe exit (29); and wirelessly transmitting a sequential series of images to each of the communication devices to guide the person assigned to the device from checkpoint (18) to checkpoint along the escape route (28) until the person (12) safely exits.

An underwater environmental monitoring system using an amphibious drone is disclosed. In one aspect, the amphibious drone is configured to generate a measurement data by detecting an underwater environment while moving back and forth between air and water. The underwater environmental monitoring system includes a base station located on the ground and configured to receive the measurement data through radio communication with the amphibious drone.