Terminal device, infrastructure equipment and methods

1. A terminal device for use with a wireless telecommunications network, the terminal device comprising:

sensor circuitry configured to detect a value of a parameter which is variable in response to a variation in vertical position of the terminal device;

receiver circuitry configured to receive, from infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network, a reference value of the parameter, a reference value of a vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated, and a valid duration information of the reference value of the parameter, the reference value of the parameter being defined relative to a first reference vertical position; and

processing circuitry configured to determine a value of the vertical position of the terminal device defined relative to the first reference vertical position based on the detected value of the parameter, the reference value of the parameter, the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated, the valid duration information of the reference value of the parameter, and a predetermined relationship between the variation in the value of the parameter and the variation in vertical position of the terminal device,

wherein the valid duration of the reference value of the parameter is a time period for which positioning assistance information including a reference pressure is valid, wherein the valid duration is updateable.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the first reference vertical position is sea level.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine a second reference vertical position based on a geographical position of the terminal device.

4. The terminal device according to claim 3 , wherein the second reference vertical position is ground elevation at a geographical position of the terminal device.

5. The terminal device according to claim 4 , wherein the receiver circuitry is configured to receive data indicative of the ground elevation at the geographical position of the terminal device from the infrastructure equipment.

6. The terminal device according to claim 5 , wherein the data indicative of the ground elevation at the geographical position of the terminal device is received together with the reference value of the parameter and the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated.

7. The terminal device according to claim 5 , wherein the data indicative of the ground elevation at the geographical position of the terminal device comprises geomorphological information associated with the geographical position of the terminal device.

8. The terminal device according to claim 7 , wherein the geomorphological information comprises a geomorphological gradient defined between a geographical position at which the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated is defined and the geographical position of the terminal device.

9. The terminal device according to claim 1 , the terminal device comprising transmitter circuitry configured to transmit a signal to the infrastructure equipment, wherein:

the reference value of the parameter and the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated is received from the infrastructure equipment as data comprised within system information transmitted by the infrastructure equipment, the system information being transmitted by the infrastructure equipment in response to receiving the signal transmitted by the transmitter circuitry.

10. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine the value of the vertical position of the terminal device defined relative to a second reference vertical position based on the reference value of the parameter and/or based on the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated only at a time during the valid duration.

11. The terminal device according to claim 10 , wherein, in response to the valid duration expiring:

the receiver circuitry is configured to receive, from the infrastructure equipment, an updated reference value of the parameter and/or an updated reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated, the updated reference value of the vertical position being defined relative to the first reference vertical position; and

the processing circuitry is configured to determine an updated value of the vertical position of the terminal device defined relative to the second reference vertical position using the updated reference value of the parameter and/or updated reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated.

12. The terminal device according to claim 11 , wherein:

the processing circuitry is configured to control the terminal device to operate in a discontinuous reception and/or transmission mode in which, during each of a plurality of first successive time periods, the terminal device is configured to transmit predetermined data to and/or receive predetermined data from the infrastructure equipment and, during each of a plurality of second successive time periods, the terminal device is configured to not transmit the predetermined data to and/or receive the predetermined data from the infrastructure equipment;

the length of each of the first and/or second time periods is determined in accordance with the received valid duration; and

the receiver circuitry is configured to receive the updated reference value of the parameter and/or updated reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated during one of the first time periods.

13. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the reference value of the parameter and the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated is received together with data indicative of a valid geographical region of the reference value of the parameter and/or the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine the value of the vertical position of the terminal device defined relative to a second reference vertical position based on the reference value of the parameter and/or based on the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated only when the terminal device is geographically positioned within the valid geographical region.

14. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the terminal device to operate in a discontinuous reception and/or transmission mode in which, during each of a plurality of first successive time periods, the terminal device is configured to transmit predetermined data to and/or receive predetermined data from the infrastructure equipment and, during each of a plurality of second successive time periods, the terminal device is configured to not transmit the predetermined data to and/or receive the predetermined data from the infrastructure equipment, wherein the length of each of the first and/or second repeating time periods is determined in accordance with a characteristic of the parameter.

15. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the reference value of the parameter is detected using sensor circuitry at a predetermined geographical position and at a vertical position equal to the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated, wherein the sensor circuitry which detects the reference value of the parameter is co-located with the infrastructure equipment.

16. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the parameter is atmospheric pressure.

17. The terminal device according to claim 1 , the terminal device comprising further receiver circuitry configured to receive Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine the geographical position of the terminal device using the received GNSS signals.

18. The terminal device according to claim 1 , the terminal device comprising further receiver circuitry configured to receive a beacon signal from a beacon signal emitting device located at a location, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine the geographical position of the terminal device using the received beacon signal and the location of the beacon signal emitting device.

19. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the reference value of the parameter and the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated are received together with data indicative of an accuracy of the reference value of the parameter and/or the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated; and

the processing circuitry is configured to determine whether to use the reference value of the parameter and/or the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated depending on the data indicative of the accuracy of the reference value of the parameter and/or the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated and data indicative of a required accuracy of the reference value of the parameter and/or the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated with the terminal device.

20. Infrastructure equipment for use with a wireless telecommunications network, the infrastructure equipment comprising:

transmitter circuitry configured to transmit, to a terminal device of the wireless telecommunications network, a reference value of a parameter detectable by the terminal device, the parameter being variable in response to a variation in vertical position of the terminal device, a reference value of a vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated, and a valid duration information of the reference value of the parameter, the reference value of the parameter being defined relative to a first reference vertical position, wherein:

the terminal device is configured to determine a value of the vertical position of the terminal device defined relative to the first reference vertical position based on the detected value of the parameter, the reference value of the parameter, the reference value of the vertical position at which the reference value of the parameter is associated, the valid duration information of the reference value of the parameter, and a predetermined relationship between the variation in the value of the parameter and the variation in vertical position of the terminal device,

wherein the valid duration of the reference value of the parameter is a time period for which positioning assistance information including a reference pressure is valid, wherein the valid duration is updateable.