US 12,035,189 B2
System and method for facilitating index-based positioning in a non-terrestrial network
Helka-Liina Määttänen, Helsinki (FI); Björn Hofström, Linköping (SE); Sebastian Euler, Storvreta (SE); Jonas Sedin, Sollentuna (SE); Xingqin Lin, San Jose, CA (US); Olof Liberg, Stockholm (SE); and Henrik Rydén, Solna (SE)
Assigned to Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), Stockholm (SE)
Appl. No. 17/421,715
Filed by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), Stockholm (SE)
PCT Filed Jan. 7, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/050085
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 8, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/144572, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 16, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/791,381, filed on Jan. 11, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0086713 A1, Mar. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. H04W 36/00 (2009.01); H04B 7/185 (2006.01)
CPC H04W 36/00837 (2018.08) [H04W 36/0085 (2018.08); H04B 7/185 (2013.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method performed by a network node disposed in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications environment, the method comprising:
sending reference location information to a user equipment (UE) via a service link, wherein the reference location information comprises data pertaining to a plurality of reference locations within one or more coverage areas of the NTN communications environment, each coverage area including a corresponding plurality of spot beam cells, and wherein the reference location information further comprises one of: (i) a list of indices corresponding to the plurality of reference locations, each index coded as a pair of a longitude and a latitude of the corresponding reference location, (ii) a set of ephemeris data corresponding to the plurality of reference locations; and (iii) a set of earth-centered, earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinates corresponding to the plurality of reference locations,
wherein the data comprises:
a list of the plurality of reference locations, each identified with a positioning information indicating index; or
one or more parameters of a function or mathematical relationship for generating the list of reference locations; and
responsive to sending the reference location information, receiving from the UE a reporting message containing positioning information indicating indices of one or more reference locations of the plurality of reference locations that are determined to satisfy a position criterion relative to a current position of the UE.