Power and time delay distribution report for device location

Abstract

A technique is provided for a device to report location-related information to a network entity. In one example, the device receives signaling information from a network entity. The signaling information indicates one or more parameters of a reference signal reported by a base station. The device also receives multiple propagations of the reference signal as it is transmitted by the base station. Based on the signaling information, the device generates a report, which includes the power and time delay of each propagation of the reference signal. The device sends the report to the network entity, which determines the device's location based on the report.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] Determining the location of mobile electronic devices using cellular networks can utilize signaling between the device and a base station in the cellular network. According to some techniques, round-trip time (RTT) measurements can be performed to determine the distance between the device and the base station, from which the device's location can be determined. However, these measurements may be inaccurate due to multipath propagation. Summary of the Invention

[0002] The technique described in this paper provides a method for locating a device using a power delay distribution report. In one example, the device sends a report indicating the power and time delay distribution of each reference signal received by the device from a base station. This report can be received by a network entity such as a base station or a location server. The network entity, in turn, selects a specific reference signal (if available) for each base station and estimates the device's location based on RTT measurements on the selected reference signal. Furthermore, location estimation may involve other parameters, such as transmit beam information and sensor information (e.g., camera and radar information). The parameters and the report are fed into a fusion algorithm that generates the location estimate.

[0003] According to this disclosure, an example method for reporting location-related information to a network entity may include receiving signaling information indicating one or more parameters for reporting reference signals, wherein the one or more parameters identify one or more base stations. The method may further include, based on the signaling information, determining the power and time delay distributions of one or more reference signals received from the one or more base stations, wherein the power and time delay distribution of each of the one or more reference signals includes power and time delay information corresponding to each of one or more propagated signals of the respective reference signal. The method may further include issuing a report to the network entity, wherein the report includes the power and time delay distributions.

[0004] According to this disclosure, an example method for locating a device may include sending signaling information to the device, wherein the signaling information indicates one or more parameters for reporting reference signals. The method may further include receiving a report from the device based on the signaling information, wherein the report includes power and time delay distributions of one or more reference signals received by the device from one or more base stations, and wherein the power and time delay distribution of each of the one or more reference signals includes power and time delay information corresponding to each of one or more propagated signals of the respective reference signal. The method may further include determining the location of the device based on the report.

[0005] According to this disclosure, an example device for reporting location-related information to a network entity may include a transceiver, one or more memories, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the one or more memories. The one or more processors are configured to receive signaling information indicating one or more parameters for reporting reference signals, wherein the one or more parameters identify one or more base stations. The one or more processing units may also be configured to determine, based on the signaling information, the power and time delay distributions of one or more reference signals received from the one or more base stations via the transceiver, wherein the power and time delay distribution of each of the one or more reference signals includes power and time delay information corresponding to each of the one or more propagated signals of the respective reference signal. The one or more processing units may also be configured to issue a report to the network entity via the transceiver, wherein the report includes the power and time delay distributions.

[0006] According to this disclosure, an example network entity for locating a device may include a transceiver, one or more memories, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the one or more memories, the one or more processors being configured to send signaling information to the device via the transceiver, wherein the signaling information indicates one or more parameters for reporting reference signals. The one or more processing units may also be configured to receive a report from the device based on the signaling information, wherein the report includes power and time delay distributions of one or more reference signals received by the device from one or more base stations, and wherein the power and time delay distribution of each of the one or more reference signals includes power and time delay information corresponding to each of the one or more propagated signals of the respective reference signal. The one or more processing units may also be configured to determine the location of the device based on the report.

[0007] This overview is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by referring to appropriate portions of the entire specification, any or all of the accompanying drawings, and each claim. The foregoing, as well as other features and examples, will be described in more detail below in the specification, claims, and drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a ground positioning system according to an embodiment.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a multipath diagram illustrating an example of the propagation of a reference signal according to an embodiment.

[0010] Figure 3 An example of power and time delay distribution according to an embodiment is shown.

[0011] Figure 4 An example of a fusion algorithm for estimating the location of a user equipment (UE) according to an embodiment is shown.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of estimating the location of the UE according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 6 This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of sending signaling information to a UE according to an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 7 This is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of sending signaling information to a UE according to an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 8 A sequence diagram illustrating an example of the distribution of reported power and time delay according to an embodiment is shown.

[0016] Figure 9 This is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of the distribution of reported power and time delay according to an embodiment.

[0017] Figure 10 This is a sequence diagram illustrating yet another example of the distribution of reported power and time delay according to an embodiment.

[0018] Figure 11 This is a sequence diagram illustrating examples of beam information transmission and sensor output according to an embodiment.

[0019] Figure 12 This is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of beam information transmission and sensor output according to an embodiment.

[0020] Figure 13 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for reporting power and time delay distribution according to an embodiment is shown.

[0021] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for determining the location of a UE according to an embodiment.

[0022] Figure 15 This is a block diagram of an embodiment of the UE.

[0023] Figure 16 This is a block diagram of an embodiment of a base station.

[0024] According to certain exemplary embodiments, the same reference numerals in various figures indicate the same elements. Furthermore, multiple instances of an element can be indicated by a first digit followed by a letter or hyphen and a second digit. For example, multiple instances of element 110 can be indicated as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, etc. When such an element is referred to using only the first digit, any instances of that element will be understood (e.g., element 110 in the previous example would refer to elements 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3). Detailed Implementation

[0025] For the purpose of describing the innovative aspects of various embodiments, the following description is directed to certain implementations. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in many different ways. The described implementations can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according to any communication standard, such as any Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) IEEE 802.11 standard (including such...). (The standard identified by the technology) Standards, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM / General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunking Radio (TETRA), Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolved Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), or other known signals used for communication within wireless, cellular, or Internet of Things (IoT) networks, such as systems using 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, or further implementation technologies thereof.

[0026] As used herein, an "RF signal" includes electromagnetic waves that transmit information through space between a transmitter (or transmitting device) and a receiver (or receiving device). As used herein, a transmitter may send a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted on different paths between the transmitter and receiver can be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

[0027] Additionally, references to “reference signal,” “location reference signal,” “reference signal for location,” etc., may be used to refer to a signal used for the location of a user equipment (UE). As described in more detail herein, such a signal may include any of a variety of signal types, but is not necessarily limited to the Location Reference Signal (PRS) as defined in the relevant radio standards.

[0028] Several illustrative embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this document. While specific embodiments that can implement one or more aspects of this disclosure are described below, other embodiments may be used, and various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0029] For clarity, various embodiments of this disclosure are described in conjunction with a UE, such as a mobile phone. However, the embodiments are not limited thereto, and are similarly applicable to any other type of device. Typically, the device may connect to a cellular network, and reference signals may be transmitted from the cellular network to the device. The reference signals are measured to determine the location of the device.

[0030] Fifth-generation (5G) New Radio (NR) is a radio frequency (RF) interface that is being standardized by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). 5G NR promises to offer significantly more functionality than its predecessor (Long Term Evolution (LTE)) technology, such as significantly faster and more responsive mobile broadband, and enhanced conductivity for IoT devices. Additionally, 5G NR provides new positioning technologies for UEs, including Angle of Arrival (AoA) / Angle of Departure (AoD) positioning, UE-based positioning, and multi-cell round-trip time (RTT) positioning. Regarding RTT positioning, this involves measuring the RTT between the UE and multiple base stations.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a terrestrial positioning system 100 according to an embodiment. Hereinafter, the terrestrial positioning system 100 includes multiple cellular transceivers, or base stations 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3 (collectively referred to herein as base station 110), for determining the location (e.g., in geographic coordinates) of a UE 120. Base station 110 and / or UE 120 can both be communicatively coupled to a location server 130 via a wide area network (WAN) 140, which may include a network of cellular carriers and other data communication networks, as discussed in more detail below. (Solid arrows between components indicate communication links.) Although UE 120 can be communicatively coupled to WAN 140 via wireless communication with one or more base stations 110, UE 120 may have additional or alternative communication links to WAN 140, as shown in the figure.

[0032] It should be noted that Figure 1A general illustration of the various components is provided, and any or all of these components may be used appropriately, with each component being repeated or omitted as needed. Specifically, although one UE 120 is shown, it should be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions of UEs, etc.) may utilize the terrestrial positioning system 100. Similarly, the terrestrial positioning system 100 may include more or fewer base stations 110, location servers 130, and / or other components. Communication links shown for the various components in the terrestrial positioning system 100 include data and signaling links, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical (wired) and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality.

[0033] As used herein, UE 120 may be an electronic device and may be referred to as a device, mobile device, wireless device, mobile terminal, terminal, wireless terminal, mobile station (MS), Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Enabled Terminal (SET), or some other name. Furthermore, UE 120 may correspond to a cellular phone, smartphone, laptop computer, tablet computer, personal data assistant (PDA), wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, tracking device, or some other portable or mobile device). In some cases, UE 120 may be part of another entity—for example, it may be a chipset supporting a modem integrated into a larger mobile entity, such as a vehicle, drone, packaging, shipping, robotic equipment, etc. Typically, although not always, UE 120 may support wireless communications using one or more Radio Access Technologies (RATs) (e.g., in addition to 5G NR), such as GSM, CDMA, W-CDMA, LTE, HRPD, IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. (BT), Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMAX), etc. UE 120 can also support wireless communication using a wireless local area network (WLAN) that can connect to other networks (e.g., the Internet). WAN 140 may include such wireless communication networks and / or technologies.

[0034] UE 120 may comprise a single entity within a personal area network (PAN) or may comprise multiple entities, such as a PAN in which a user may employ audio, video, and / or data I / O devices and / or body sensors, as well as separate wired or wireless modems. An estimate of the location of UE 120 may be referred to as location, location estimate, location fix, fixed, position, location estimate, or location fix (these terms are used interchangeably herein), and it may be geodetic, thus providing location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) for UE 120, which may or may not include a height component (e.g., altitude, above-ground height or underground depth, number of floors or underground floors). Alternatively, the location of UE 120 may be represented as a civic location (e.g., as a postal address or designation of a point or small area (such as a specific room or floor) within a building). The location of UE 120 can also be represented as an area or volume in which UE 120 is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 165%, etc.) (defined in geodetic or urban terms). The location of UE 120 can also be a relative location, which includes, for example, distance and direction defined relative to an origin at a known location, or relative X, Y (and optionally Z) coordinates, defined in geodetic and urban terms, or by a point, area, or volume indicated on a reference map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, the use of the term “location” can include any of these variations unless otherwise indicated. When calculating the location of the UE, the local X, Y, and possibly Z coordinates are typically solved first, and then the local coordinates are converted to absolute coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level) as needed.

[0035] As described above, depending on the desired functionality, WAN 140 may include any of a variety of wireless and / or wired communication networks. For example, WAN 140 may include any combination of public and / or private networks, local area networks (LANs) and / or wide area networks (WANs), etc. Furthermore, WAN 140 may utilize one or more wired and / or wireless communication technologies. In some embodiments, for example, WAN 140 may include cellular or other mobile networks, WLANs, wireless wide area networks (WWANs), and / or the Internet. Specific examples of WAN 140 include 5G NR networks, LTE networks, Wi-Fi WLANs, etc. WAN 140 may also include more than one network and / or network type.

[0036] Base station 110 may include nodes in a cellular network that allow UE 120 to wirelessly communicate with other devices linked to WAN 140. Base station 110 may have a known location and can therefore be used for positioning as described herein. As described further below, the technology is not necessarily limited to fixed base stations (i.e., base stations with fixed locations) but may also include mobile base stations and even other UEs 120. For 5G NR, base station 110 may include a next-generation node B (gNB). WAN 140, including additional or replacement RATs, may include base station 110, which includes node Bs, evolved node Bs (eNodeBs or eNBs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), radio base stations (RBSs), NR node Bs (gNBs), next-generation eNBs (ng-eNBs), Wi-Fi APs, and / or Bluetooth. AP. Therefore, UE 120 can send and receive information with network-connected devices (such as location server 130) by accessing WAN 140. And, as mentioned above, UE 120 can access WAN 140 via base station 110. Base station 110 and / or base station antenna may be referred to as Transmit / Receive Point (TRP).

[0037] Location server 130 may include servers and / or other computing devices configured to determine the estimated location of UE 120 and / or provide data (e.g., “auxiliary data”) to UE 120 to facilitate location determination. According to some embodiments, location server 130 may include a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP) that can support SUPL User Plane (UP) location solutions defined by the Open Mobility Alliance (OMA) and can support location services for UE 120 based on subscription information of UE 120 stored in location server 130. Location server 130 may also include an Enhanced Serving Mobility Location Center (E-SMLC) that supports the location of UE 120 using a control plane (CP) location solution for LTE radio access for UE 120. Location server 130 may also include a Location Management Function (LMF) that supports the location of UE 120 using a control plane (CP) location solution for 5G or NR radio access for UE 120. In the CP location solution, signaling for controlling and managing the location of UE 120 can be exchanged between components of WAN 140, and can be exchanged with UE 120 as signaling from the perspective of WAN 140 using existing network interfaces and protocols. In the UP location solution, from the perspective of WAN 140, signaling for controlling and managing the location of UE 120 can be exchanged as data between location server 130 and UE 120 (e.g., data delivered using Internet Protocol (IP) and / or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)).

[0038] It can be further noted that in some embodiments of the terrestrial positioning system 100, the location server 130 may be performed by and / or incorporated into the UE 120 itself. That is, in the embodiments described herein, the functionality of the location server 130 may be performed by the UE 120. In this case, communication between the UE and the location server may therefore occur between the hardware and / or software components of the UE 120. Similarly, the functionality of the location server 130 described herein may be performed by a base station 110 or other device communicatively coupled to the terrestrial positioning system 100.

[0039] Additionally, the location of UE 120 can be "UE-based" or "network-based". UE-based location involves UE 120 determining its own location, which can be facilitated by information provided to UE 120 by the network (e.g., location server 130 and / or base station 110). Network-based location involves the network (e.g., location server 130) determining the location of the UE, which can be facilitated by information provided to the network by UE 120. The techniques for RTT-based location provided herein can be applied to either UE-based or network-based location. For example, for UE-based location, RTT measurements can be initiated and / or transmitted to UE 120, and UE 120 can determine its own location if the location of base station 110 from which the RTT measurements are taken is provided. For network-based location, RTT measurements can be initiated and / or transmitted to one or more base stations 110, which can send the measurements to location server 130, which can then determine the location of UE 120.

[0040] Ground positioning system 100 can determine the location of UE 120 by utilizing downlink (DL) information transmitted by base station 110 and uplink (UL) information transmitted by UE 120. As explained in more detail below, some positioning methods can use RTT to determine the location of UE 120 by determining one or more distances 150 from base station 110, and then use multilateral positioning or similar algorithms to determine the location of UE 120. For example, in multilateral positioning, distances 150-1, 150-2, and 150-3 track corresponding circles 160-1, 160-2, and 160-3 (… Figure 1 (Only a portion of it is shown in the diagram), and the location of UE 120 can be determined as the intersection of these circles 160. Alternative positioning methods can use a combination of distance information and angle information (e.g., AoA, AoD) from one or more RTT measurements. Positioning methods using RTT measurements with angle information can determine the location of UE 120 using a single base station 110.

[0041] Figure 2This is a multipath diagram illustrating an example of the propagation of a reference signal according to an embodiment. Specifically, in this example, multiple base stations 210 communicate with the UE 220. Each of the base stations 210 sends a reference signal to the UE 220, which can be used for RTT measurement. The UE 220 performs an RTT measurement on the reference signal to determine the location of the UE 220. However, the presence of different physical objects in a given environment can lead to multipath propagation, where a single reference signal sent by a base station can propagate along multiple paths. As used herein, the term "propagated signal" refers to a portion of a signal propagating along a particular propagation path. Therefore, due to multipath propagation, the UE 210 can receive multiple propagated signals resulting from different portions of a single reference signal propagating along different corresponding propagation paths. In other words, a propagated signal is a reference signal received from a base station along a particular propagation path. The UE 210 can receive multiple propagated signals from the base station, where these propagated signals correspond to the same transmission of the reference signal by the base station, and where each propagated signal is received along a different propagation path. One propagation path can correspond to a line-of-sight transmission from the base station to the UE 210, resulting in the UE 210 receiving a first propagated signal (or equivalently, a first reference signal) from the base station. Another propagation path can correspond to a reflection path, where the UE 210 receives a second propagated signal (or equivalently, a second reference signal), which is a reflection of the first reference signal from an object between the UE 210 and the base station. Multipath propagation reduces the accuracy of UE positioning based on RTT measurements. Accuracy can be improved in a multipath environment by selecting specific propagation signals (e.g., signals corresponding to line-of-sight transmissions instead of reflection transmissions of the reference signal).

[0042] exist Figure 2 In the illustration, three base stations 210-1, 210-2, and 210-3 communicate with UE 220. Four reflection sources 230-1, 230-2, 230-3, and 230-4 can cause reflections of the transmitted reference signal. The source from which UE 220 receives the propagated signal can be referred to as a tap, where the propagated signal is either a portion of the reference signal propagating along the line-of-sight path or a reference signal reflected along a non-line-of-sight path. Although Figure 2 The physical environment shown includes a specific number of base stations and reflection sources, but other arrangements of the physical environment are also possible (e.g., the physical environment may include different numbers of base stations and / or reflection sources).

[0043] Base station 210-1 sends a reference signal to UE 220. The reference signal can be, for example, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). Figure 2In the diagram, UE 220 receives three propagated signals, corresponding to the transmitted reference signal. The first propagated signal is received along the line-of-sight path 212 between base station 210-1 and UE 220. Base station 210-1 is a tap of the first propagated signal. The second propagated signal is received along reflection path 214-1 (a non-line-of-sight path) by reflection from first reflection source 230-1 to UE 220. First reflection source 230-1 is a tap of the second propagated signal. Similarly, the third propagated signal is received along another reflection path 214-2 (also called a non-line-of-sight path) by reflection from second reflection source 230-2 to UE 220. Second reflection source 230-2 is a tap of the third propagated signal. When performing RTT measurements on the reference signal, it is determined which of the three propagated signals to use. Selecting the first propagation signal (e.g., the signal corresponding to line-of-sight path 212, as indicated by the check mark) instead of the other two propagation signals (e.g., the signals corresponding to reflection paths 214-1 and 214-2, as indicated by the two X marks) results in the best possible accuracy.

[0044] Similarly, base station 210-2 sends a reference signal to UE 220. In turn, UE 220 receives three propagated signals: one along the line-of-sight path between base station 210-2 and UE 220, another along a reflection path involving the first reflector 230-1, and an additional one along a reflection path involving the third reflector 230-3. This paper proposes that, when using multilateral positioning, the accuracy of UE 220 location estimation is improved by performing RTT measurements on the propagated signal along the line-of-sight path (as indicated by checkmarks), rather than on the propagated signal from a non-line-of-sight path (as indicated by two X marks).

[0045] Furthermore, base station 210-3 transmits a reference signal to UE 220. However, in this context, since the fourth reflector 230-4 is located between base station 210-3 and UE 220, there is no line-of-sight path between the base station and the UE. Instead, UE 220 receives two propagation signals: one along a reflection path involving the second reflector 230-2, and the other along a reflection path involving the third reflector 230-3. When using multilateral positioning, the accuracy of UE location estimation can be improved by selecting the better propagation signal (as indicated by the checkmark). (Unselected propagation signals are marked with an X). Alternatively, since both propagation signals from base station 210-3 are reflections of the reference signal rather than line-of-sight transmissions, multilateral positioning can filter out one or both of the two propagation signals (e.g., the RTT measurement on the reference signal emitted by base station 210-3 can be ignored).

[0046] In one example, to aid in selecting the propagation signal for each transmitted reference signal, UE 220 can generate and transmit a Power and Time Delay Distribution (PTDP). The PTDP can be generated by the base station, or equivalently by the reference signal transmitted by the base station, where UE 220 receives the reference signal as one or more propagation signals according to the propagation path, as further described in the following figures. The PTDP indicates the power and time delay of the received propagation signal. Typically, the line-of-sight path results in the propagation signal with the strongest power and the minimum delay, relative to the reflection path. Therefore, when the PTDP of the reference signal indicates a propagation signal that meets these criteria, that propagation signal can be selected and used for UE 220's location estimation (as in the case of reference signal transmissions at base stations 210-1 and 210-2). However, when the PTDP of the reference signal does not indicate these criteria (e.g., the propagation signal with the strongest power does not have the minimum delay), it can be assumed that no propagation signal follows line-of-sight transmission; instead, each propagation signal follows a different reflection path (as in the case of reference signal transmission at base station 210-3). In this case, the strongest propagation signal can be selected, or different propagation signals can be filtered out.

[0047] In addition to using PTDP reports, accuracy can be further improved by inputting PTDP reports and other types of information into the fusion algorithm, as further described in the following figures. Another type of information relates to reference signal transmissions (e.g., transmit beam information for each reference signal), base stations 210 (e.g., their locations), reflectors 230 (e.g., a map of their location, a description of their reflection characteristics, etc.), and / or the UE 220. Regarding the UE 220, relevant information can be obtained from one or more sensors 240-1, 240-2, and 240-3, each of which can be coupled to a base station (e.g., mounted at the base station, juxtaposed with the base station, or located at a known location relative to the base station). In one example, the sensor can be an optical sensor (e.g., a camera) that generates sensor data from which the location of the UE 220 can be determined based on geometric reconstruction, where the sensor data forms an image. In another example, the sensor can be a radar that determines the distance, angle, and / or velocity of the UE 220, from which the location of the UE can be determined. In both examples, the relevant information is raw sensor data and / or estimated location.

[0048] For example, and again referring to the reference signal transmitted by base station 210-3, the PTDP of this reference signal can indicate that line-of-sight propagation may not exist. This indication can be confirmed using image data generated by sensor 240-3 (in this case, a camera) coupled to base station 210-3. The corresponding two propagation signals can be filtered out. Conversely, the position of UE 220 can be estimated based on reference signals transmitted by base stations 210-1 and 210-2 (each of which follows a corresponding line-of-sight path), and can be further refined based on image data generated by sensors 240-1 and 240-2, 240-1 coupled to base station 210-1 and 240-2 coupled to base station 210-2.

[0049] Figure 3 An example of PTDP according to an embodiment is shown. Specifically, a propagation signal measurement 300 is performed on a reference signal 310. To clarify, Figure 3 The diagram shows three reference signals 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3, which correspond to signals generated by... Figure 2 The reference signals transmitted by base stations 210-1, 210-2, and 210-3. Specifically, the UE (e.g., UE 220) receives three propagation signals corresponding to the first reference signal 310-1 (one of which follows a line-of-sight path, the other two follow a reflection path, and each propagation signal corresponds to the reference signal 310-1 received from the first base station 210-1), three propagation signals corresponding to the second reference signal 310-2 (one of which follows a line-of-sight path, the other two follow a reflection path, and each propagation signal corresponds to the reference signal 310-2 received from the second base station 210-2), and two propagation signals corresponding to the third reference signal 310-3 (both follow a reflection path, and each propagation signal corresponds to the reference signal 310-3 received from the third base station 210-3).

[0050] In one example, the propagation signal measurement 300 includes the power and time delay of each propagation signal. Power is the power at which the UE receives the propagated signal. Time delay is the time difference between the transmission of the corresponding reference signal and the reception of the propagated signal. Figure 3 In the illustration, power can be absolute power 302 in dBm (e.g., the measured power of the received propagated signal is one milliwatt, according to a reference). Time delay can be absolute time delay 304 (e.g., taking into account channel propagation delay, the internal delay of the UE's modem, and the cumulative timing advance command used to synchronize the clocks of the applicable base station and the UE).

[0051] exist Figure 3In the illustrations, the power and time delay of each propagating signal are indicated by upward arrows. More specifically, the measurements of the three propagating signals corresponding to the first reference signal 310-1 are shown in the top diagram, where the leftmost arrow corresponds to line-of-sight propagation with the strongest power and the smallest time delay. The two arrows on the right correspond to reflection propagation with lower power and a larger time delay. Similarly, the measurements of the three propagating signals corresponding to the second reference signal 310-2 are shown in the middle diagram, where the leftmost arrow corresponds to line-of-sight propagation with the strongest power and the smallest time delay. The two arrows on the right correspond to reflection propagation with lower power and a larger time delay. Furthermore, the measurements of the two propagating signals corresponding to the third reference signal 310-3 are shown in the bottom diagram. In this text, the leftmost arrow indicates a relatively smaller delay than the rightmost arrows, while also having lower power. Therefore, it can be assumed that these two propagating signals follow a reflection path.

[0052] The UE can report the PTDP of each base station based on the propagation signal measurement 300. The PTDP can include various types of information, and various reporting structures are also possible.

[0053] In one example, PTDP can include the absolute time delay and absolute power (e.g., for each propagation of the reference signal) of the reference signal. i p i ] j As shown, where “j” is an identifier of the reference signal or the base station transmitting the reference signal (e.g., “j” is a cell identifier), and where “i” is an identifier of the received propagated signal (e.g., an index)). For example, [t1, p1]2 is the absolute time delay and absolute power of the first propagated signal corresponding to the second reference signal 310-2.

[0054] In this example, a power threshold of 330 can also be used. The power threshold can be a predefined power amount (e.g., a predefined absolute power amount). If the power of the propagating signal exceeds the power threshold 330, the corresponding power and time (e.g., [t]) will be used. i p i ] j These measurements are included in the report. Otherwise, they are not included in the report.

[0055] Furthermore, for each reference signal 310 (or the corresponding base station or cell), the UE includes the set {[t]} i p i ]} j Where “j” is set to the reference signal identifier or cell identifier, where “i” varies between “1” and “k”, and where “k” is the total number of propagations of each reference signal “j” exceeding the power threshold of 330. For example, in Figure 3In the diagram, the PTDP of the first reference signal 310-1 consists of {[t1, p1], {[t2, p2], [t3, p3]}1. Each set can be included in the same report or issued in a separate report.

[0056] In another example, relative measurements are reported instead of absolute measurements. Specifically, for each base station, the strongest power of the received propagated signal is determined. The power of each propagated signal can be reported as the logarithm of the ratio of that power to the strongest power. Furthermore, the strongest power (e.g., expressed as absolute power) can be reported for baseline comparison with other reference signals from other base stations. Additionally or alternatively, and for each base station, the shortest time delay, or the time delay of the strongest propagated signal, is reported. The difference between this time delay and the time delay of each remaining propagated signal is also reported.

[0057] Figure 4 An example of a fusion algorithm 410 for estimating UE location 420 (e.g., the UE's position) according to an embodiment is shown. In this example, the fusion algorithm 410 receives multiple inputs, including UE PTDP report 412 and other types of information, to output UE location 420. Typically, the fusion algorithm can be implemented as a computer-readable program that can be hosted and executed on a network entity such as a base station, location server, the UE itself, another UE, or any other component of the cellular network (e.g., gateway computer, back-end server, etc.). Figure 4 Other types of information, including transmitted beam information 414, camera output 416, and radar output 416, are shown. However, additional or alternative types of information are possible and are related to the transmitted reference signal, the base station transmitting the reference signal, the reflection source, and / or the UE.

[0058] UE PTDP report 412 indicates a report determined and / or issued by the UE and includes PTDP information (e.g., as mentioned above regarding...). Figure 3 The PTDP information can be the power and time delay of each received reference signal (e.g., absolute or relative power and time delay measurements). A report can be sent by the UE to the network entity and includes the PTDP of different reference signals received from different base stations. Alternatively, a report can be set up for each base station.

[0059] Transmit beam information 414 includes information about the transmit beam used in each reference signal transmission. Camera output 416 includes raw image data generated by one or more cameras and / or an estimate of the UE position 420 derived from the image data. Similarly, radar output 418 includes the distance, angle, and / or velocity of the UE 220 detected by one or more radars, and / or an estimate of the UE position 420 derived from such radar data.

[0060] Various implementations of the fusion algorithm 410 are possible. Typically, the fusion algorithm 410 can determine weights based on the PTDP itself and / or other inputs 414-418 and apply the weights to the reported PTDP.

[0061] In one example, fusion algorithm 410 selects the propagation signal for each base station based on UE PTDP report 412 and other inputs 414-418, and estimates UE location 420 using RTT measurements on the selected propagation signal without further considering the other inputs 414-418. Specifically, for each base station, the propagation signal with the strongest power and the smallest propagation delay is selected. If none of the propagation signals corresponding to a reference signal transmitted from the base station meets these two criteria, fusion algorithm 410 can filter out that reference signal (e.g., set its weight to zero). Alternatively, fusion algorithm 410 can select one of the propagation signals by considering the other inputs 414-418. For example, an estimate of UE 420 can be derived from any or all other inputs 414-418, and (e.g., by having the time delay closest to that estimate) the propagation signal best suited to that estimate. Once each base station has selected a propagation signal (if any), fusion algorithm 410 uses the propagation signal selected across multiple base stations in the multilateral positioning estimate of UE location 420. In this case, the weight of each selected propagating signal is determined by fusing the reported power of the propagating signal. Generally, the greater the power, the greater the weight. In multilateral positioning estimation, the margin around the estimated area (e.g., the range of the circle's diameter) can be inversely related to the weight (e.g., the greater the weight, the smaller the margin, resulting in a more accurate estimate).

[0062] In another example, fusion algorithm 410 selects the propagation signal for each base station based on the UE PTDP report 412 rather than other inputs 414-418, and estimates the UE location 420 using RTT measurements on the selected propagation signal and other inputs 414-418, without further consideration of the other inputs 414-418. Specifically, for each base station, the propagation signal with the strongest power and the smallest propagation delay is selected. If none of the propagation signals corresponding to the reference signal transmitted by the base station meets these two criteria, fusion algorithm 410 can filter out the reference signal (e.g., set its weight to zero). Once each base station has selected a propagation signal (if any), fusion algorithm 410 uses the selected propagation signal in the multilateral positioning estimation. In this case, fusion determines the weight of each selected propagation signal based on the reported power of that propagation signal. Generally, the greater the power, the greater the weight. In multilateral positioning estimation, the margin around the estimated location (e.g., the range of the circle's diameter) can be inversely related to the weight (e.g., the larger the weight, the smaller the margin, resulting in a more accurate estimate). In addition, for each of the other inputs 412-418, the fusion algorithm 410 also estimates the UE's location and fuses the multilateral positioning estimate and other estimates to generate the UE's location 420.

[0063] In another example, fusion algorithm 410 uses both the UE PTDP report 412 and other inputs 414-418 to perform propagation signal selection and location estimation. Specifically, for each base station, the propagation signal with the strongest power and the smallest propagation delay is selected. If none of the propagation signals corresponding to a reference signal transmitted by the base station meets both criteria, fusion algorithm 410 can filter out that reference signal (e.g., set its weight to zero). Alternatively, fusion algorithm 410 can select one of the propagation signals by considering the other inputs 414-418. For example, an estimate of UE 420 can be derived from any or all other inputs 414-418, and (e.g., by having the time delay closest to that estimate) the propagation signal best suited to that estimate. Once each base station has selected a propagation signal (if any), fusion algorithm 410 uses the selected propagation signal in the multilateral positioning estimation. In this case, fusion determines the weight of each selected propagation signal based on the reported power of that propagation signal. Generally, the higher the power, the higher the weight. In the multilateral positioning estimation, the margin of the estimated surrounding area (e.g., the range of the circle diameter) can be inversely related to the weights (e.g., the larger the weights, the smaller the margin, resulting in a more accurate estimate). Furthermore, for each of the other inputs 412-418, the fusion algorithm 410 also estimates the UE's position and fuses the multilateral positioning estimate with the other estimates to generate the UE's position 420.

[0064] Figure 5This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an estimation of the location of a UE (e.g., the location of UE 510) according to an embodiment. In one example, UE 510 communicates with network entity 520. Network entity 520 may be a base station, a location server, another UE, or another component of a cellular network.

[0065] In the first step, network entity 520 sends signaling information 522 to UE 520. Typically, signaling information 522 configures UE 510 to generate and report PTDPs, each PTDP corresponding to a reference signal transmitted by a base station and indicating the power and time delay of each received propagated signal. For example, signaling information 522 may indicate one or more parameters reported by the reference signal transmitted by the base station. The base station may be the same as or different from network entity 520. The report may be specific to a single base station or shared by multiple base stations (in which case, one or more parameters may also relate to other base stations and / or reference signals transmitted by such base stations).

[0066] Conversely, UE 510 receives propagated signals, each corresponding to the propagation path along which a reference signal is transmitted from a base station. Given signaling information 522, UE 510 generates a PTDP for each base station and sends a PTDP 512 report to network entity 520. The PTDP report 512 may be base station-specific or public and includes PTDPs for multiple reference signals transmitted from multiple base stations.

[0067] Network entity 520 receives PTDP report 512 and can determine the UE location. This determination does not require but may involve other types of information. If other types of information are not used, network entity 520 can select a propagation signal for each base station (e.g., based on power and time delay measurements of various propagation signals), determine weights based on the reported power measurements, and perform a multilateral positioning estimation of the UE location based on the weights. If other types of information are used, PTDP report 512 and other types of information are input into the fusion algorithm 530 of network entity 520, similar to... Figure 4 The fusion algorithm 410. The output of the fusion algorithm is the UE position estimate.

[0068] although Figure 5 It is shown that UE location estimation is performed by network entity 520 other than UE 510, but embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto. Instead, UE 510 may receive signaling information 522 from network entity 520 and may generate a PTDP report 512. UE 510 may, but does not need to, send the PTDP report 512 to network entity 520.

[0069] In one example, UE 510 does not perform this transmission, but instead determines its location based on PTDP report 512. In this example, the fusion algorithm may, but does not need to, be hosted on UE 510. If hosted, UE 510 can receive other types of information from network entity 520 and can input PTDP report 512 and other types of information into fusion algorithm 530 to estimate UE location.

[0070] In another example, a PTPD report 512 transmission occurs. In this example, UE 510 can receive returned auxiliary information from network entity 520 to subsequently estimate the UE's location. For example, the auxiliary information may include the selection of propagation signals based on the fusion algorithm 530 performed by network entity 520. In another illustration, the auxiliary information includes the output of a deep learning model that generates absolute positioning using PTPD 512. Absolute positioning can be local coordinates or global coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude).

[0071] In another example, network entity 520 is another UE located in the same area as UE 510. A sidechain channel may exist between UE 510 and the other UE, and PTDP 512 may be transmitted via the sidechain channel. In this example, the other UE may have already performed localization in the area. Therefore, the other UE may have already outlined the area (e.g., generated a PTDP) and / or received assistance information. Based on this existing data, the other UE can help UE 510 determine its UE location (e.g., by transmitting PTDPs from other devices, transmitting assistance information, etc.).

[0072] Figure 6 This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of signaling information 622 being sent to UE 610 according to an embodiment. The signaling information 622 is sent by network entity 620, which may be a base station (e.g., one of the serving cells), a location server, another UE, or another component of the cellular network. Signaling information 622 is... Figure 5 Example of signaling information 522. Specifically, network entity 620 issues a set of signaling information 622 applicable to the serving cell and neighboring cells, rather than each neighboring cell (e.g., base station 630 such as providing coverage of neighboring cells to the serving cell), which issues its own signaling information specific to the reference signals transmitted in the neighboring cell (e.g., by base station 630).

[0073] In one example, signaling information 622 includes a list of cells and / or remote radio heads (RRHs) used to measure PTDP (including Quasi-Same Level (QCL) indication for each cell). Signaling information 622 also includes the power thresholds of taps reported in the PTDP (e.g., Figure 3The power threshold (330) and the maximum number of propagations for each reference signal to be reported.

[0074] Figure 7 This is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of signaling information 722 and 732 being sent to UE 710 according to an embodiment. Base station 720 (e.g., one of the serving cells) sends first signaling information 722. Base station 730 (e.g., one of the neighboring cells) sends second signaling information 732. Each of signaling information 722 and 732 is... Figure 5 Example of signaling information 522.

[0075] In this article, with Figure 6 Unlike the previous illustration, each base station sending the reference signal to UE 710 issues its own specific signaling information to configure the UE to generate and report a reference signal-specific (or equivalently, base station-specific) PTDP. In one example, neither of signaling information 722 nor 732 needs to include a list of cells for measuring PTDP, because each of signaling information 722 and 732 is cell-specific. Instead, each of signaling information 722 and 732 includes the power threshold of the tap reported in the PTDP (e.g., ...). Figure 3 The power threshold (330) and the maximum number of propagated signals to be reported for each base station, and the power threshold and the maximum number can vary between signaling information 722 and 732.

[0076] Figure 8 This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of reporting PTDP according to an embodiment. UE 810 communicates with base station 820 (e.g., one of the serving cells) and base station 830 (e.g., one of the neighboring cells) and has received signaling information for reporting PTDP for each reference signal transmitted by each of base stations 820 and 830.

[0077] As shown in the figure, the first base station 820 sends a first reference signal 822 to the UE 810. Due to multipath propagation, the UE 810 receives one or more first propagation signals corresponding to the first reference signal 822. Figure 8 (Not shown in the image). For each received propagated signal corresponding to the first reference signal 822, the UE 810 performs power and time measurements (absolute and / or relative measurements) on the received propagated signal and includes the power and time measurements as a pair in the PTDP of the reference signal 822. Similarly, the second base station 830 transmits the second reference signal 832. The UE 810 receives one or more second propagated signals corresponding to the second reference signal 832 and performs and includes power and time measurements in the PTDP of the second reference signal 832.

[0078] Subsequently, UE 810 sends a PTDP report 812 to the first base station 820 (e.g., the serving cell, a base station that sends signaling information for all reference signals to UE 810, or one of the base stations performing location estimation). The PTDP report 812 includes the PTDP of each of the first reference signal 822 and the second reference signal 832.

[0079] If base station 820 includes a network entity that estimates the location of UE 810, base station 820 relies on PTDP report 812 to do so. Otherwise, base station 812 issues PTDP report 812 to the applicable network entity.

[0080] Figure 9 This is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of PTDP reporting according to an embodiment. UE 910 communicates with base station 920 (e.g., one of the serving cells) and base station 930 (e.g., one of the neighboring cells) and has received signaling information for reporting the PTDP of each reference signal transmitted by each of base stations 920 and 930. In this document, instead of issuing a single PTDP report including the PTDP of all reference signals, UE 910 issues a PTDP report for each reference signal individually.

[0081] As shown in the figure, the first base station 920 sends a first reference signal 922 to the UE 910. Due to multipath propagation, the UE 910 receives one or more first propagated signals corresponding to the first reference signal 922. For each received propagated signal, the UE 910 performs power and time measurements (absolute and / or relative measurements) on the received propagated signal and includes the power and time measurements as a pair in the PTDP of the reference signal 922. The UE 910 sends a PTDP report 912 to the first base station 920, which includes the PTDP of the reference signal 922.

[0082] Similarly, the second base station 930 transmits a second reference signal 932. The UE 910 receives one or more second propagation signals corresponding to the second reference signal 932, performs and includes power and time measurements in the PTDP of the second reference signal 932, and sends a PTDP report 914 to the second base station 930, which includes the PTDP of the second reference signal 932.

[0083] If the first base station 920 is the network entity that estimates the location of UE 910, the second base station 930 sends a PTDP report 914 to the first base station 920. The first base station 920 relies on PTDP reports 912 and 914 to estimate the location of UE 910. Otherwise, both base stations 920 and 930 send their PTDP reports 912 and 914 to the applicable network entity.

[0084] Figure 10 This is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of PTDP reporting according to an embodiment. UE 1010 communicates with base station 1020 (e.g., one of the serving cells) and base station 1030 (e.g., one of the neighboring cells) and has received signaling information for reporting the PTDP of each reference signal transmitted by each of base stations 1020 and 1030. Instead of issuing a single PTDP report including the PTDP of all reference signals, UE 1010 issues a PTDP report for each reference signal, and this PTDP report is only sent to one base station (as shown by base station 1020, which may be the serving cell, the base station that sends the signaling information for all reference signals to UE 1010, or one of the base stations performing location estimation).

[0085] As shown in the figure, the first base station 1020 transmits a first reference signal 1022 to the UE 1010. Due to multipath propagation, the UE 1010 receives one or more first propagated signals corresponding to the first reference signal 1022. For each received propagated signal, the UE 1010 performs power and time measurements (absolute and / or relative measurements) on the received propagated signal and includes the power and time measurements as a pair in the PTDP of the reference signal 1022. The UE 1010 sends a PTDP report 1012 to the first base station 1020, which includes the PTDP of the reference signal 1022.

[0086] Similarly, the second base station 1030 transmits the second reference signal 1032. The UE 1010 receives one or more second propagation signals corresponding to the second reference signal 1032, performs and includes power and time measurements in the PTDP of the second reference signal 1032, and sends a PTDP report 1014 to the first base station 1020, which includes the PTDP of the second reference signal 1032.

[0087] If the first base station 1020 is the network entity that estimates the location of UE 1010, the first base station 1020 relies on both PTDP reports 1012 and 1014 to estimate the location of UE 1010. Otherwise, the base station 1020 sends PTDP reports 1012 and 1014 to the applicable network entity.

[0088] Figure 11 This is a sequence of diagrams illustrating examples of emitted beam information and sensor outputs according to an embodiment. As described above, in addition to one or more PTDP reports, beam information and sensor outputs (e.g., raw image data, raw radar data, and / or position estimates derived from raw image data and / or radar data) can be input into a fusion algorithm. The fusion algorithm, in turn, outputs a position estimate.

[0089] exist Figure 11 In the illustration, UE 1110 communicates with base stations 1120 and 1130, has received signaling information for reporting PTDPs of each reference signal transmitted by each of base stations 1120 and 1130, and has correspondingly issued one or more PTDP reports. Furthermore, base station 1130 transmits its beam information and sensor output 1132 to UE 1110 (e.g., the transmit beam of the reference signal transmitted by base station 1130 to UE 1110, and sensor data and / or location estimation based on the sensor data of a second base station coupled to base station 1130). Conversely, UE transmits beam information and sensor output 1134 to base station 1120 (wherein base station 1120 may be one of the serving cell, a base station transmitting signaling information for all reference signals to UE 1110, or a base station performing location estimation). If base station 1120 is a network entity performing a fusion algorithm, base station 1120 determines the location of UE 1110 based on the beam information and sensor output 1134. Otherwise, base station 1120 sends beam information and sensor output 1134, as well as its own beam information and sensor output, to the applicable network entity.

[0090] Figure 12 This is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of beam information and sensor output according to an embodiment. In this document, UE 1210 communicates with base stations 1220 and 1230, has received signaling information for reporting PTDPs of each reference signal transmitted by each of base stations 1220 and 1230, and has correspondingly issued one or more PTDP reports. Furthermore, base station 1230 transmits its beam information and sensor output 1232 (e.g., the transmit beam of the reference signal sent by base station 1230 to UE 1210, and sensor data and / or location estimation based on the sensor data of a second base station coupled to base station 1230) to base station 1220 (wherein base station 1220 may be a serving cell, a base station transmitting signaling information for all reference signals to UE 1210, or one of the base stations performing location estimation). If base station 1220 is a network entity performing a fusion algorithm, base station 1220 determines the location of UE 1210 based on the beam information and sensor output 1232. Otherwise, base station 1220 sends beam information and sensor output 1232, as well as its own beam information and sensor output, to the applicable network entity.

[0091] Figure 13A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for reporting power and time delay distribution according to an embodiment is shown. This method can represent a method implemented by a device for reporting location-related information to a network entity. The network entity can be a base station, a location server, another UE, or another component of a cellular network. Thus, Figure 13 The functions shown in the box can be performed by the device. Furthermore, the components used to perform the functions may include... Figure 15 The hardware and / or software components of the device 1500 shown may include a UE. Additionally, it can be noted that, with the other appendices... Figure 1 Like this, provide Figure 13 This is a non-limiting example. Other embodiments may vary depending on the desired functionality. For example, the functional blocks shown in the method may be combined, separated, or rearranged to suit different embodiments.

[0092] At box 1302, the function includes receiving signaling information indicating one or more parameters for reporting reference signals, wherein the one or more parameters identify one or more base stations. In one example, signaling information is received from a network entity, wherein the network entity issues (e.g., within the RF range of the device) signaling information from all base stations communicating with the device, such as... Figure 6 As shown. In this example, one or more parameters identify one or more base stations to be included in the report for power and time delay measurements. One or more parameters further identify a power threshold associated with reporting power and time delay measurements for each base station, and when a first power is determined to exceed the power threshold, a first power and a first time delay of a first reference signal received from the base station are included in the report. Additionally, one or more parameters further identify the maximum number of propagations to be measured for each base station, wherein the report includes the total number of power measurements for each base station that are equal to or less than the maximum number. In the illustration, one or more parameters include a list of cells and / or RRHs for measuring PTDP (including a QCL indication for each cell), a power threshold for the taps reported in the PTDP (e.g., ...), Figure 3 The power threshold (330) and the maximum number of propagated signals to be reported received from the base station. In another example, the network entity is the base station, which issues base station-specific signaling information, such as... Figure 7 As shown. The device also receives applicable signaling information from each of the other base stations (e.g., second signaling information from a second base station). In this document, the signaling information for each base station may include, for example, the power threshold of a tap reported in PTDP (e.g., Figure 3 The power threshold (330) and the maximum number of propagated signals to be reported from the corresponding base station.

[0093] The components used to perform the function at box 1302 may include software and / or hardware components of the device, such as Figure 15The device 1500 shown and described in more detail below includes a bus 1505, one or more processing units 1510, a DSP 1520, a wireless communication interface 1530, a memory 1560, and / or other components.

[0094] At box 1304, the function includes determining, based on the signaling information, the power and time delay distribution of one or more reference signals received from one or more base stations, wherein the power and time delay distribution of each of the one or more reference signals includes power and time delay information corresponding to each of the one or more propagated signals of the respective reference signal. In one example, a base station transmits a reference signal to a device. Due to possible multipath propagation, the device receives one or more propagated signals from the base station, each propagated signal corresponding to a reference signal received along a propagation path. Depending on the physical environment, one propagated signal may be a reference signal received along a line-of-sight path. Another propagated signal may be a reflection of a reference signal received along a reflection path. Similarly, a second base station (and other base stations) may transmit a second reference signal. The power and time delay distribution identifies the absolute power and absolute time delay of each reference signal received from the base station. Specifically, the function at block 1306 includes the device determining a first propagation signal among a first plurality of propagation signals received from a first base station, wherein the first propagation signal among the first plurality of propagation signals has the strongest absolute power; determining the absolute time delay of the first propagation signal (e.g., as a propagation delay, a delay within the device model, and the sum of accumulated timing advance commands); and including the strongest absolute power and absolute time delay in the report. Furthermore, depending on the physical environment, for a first propagation signal transmitted via a line of sight corresponding to a reference signal from the base station and a second propagation signal reflected from the first reference signal, the report indicates (i) that the first absolute power of the first propagation signal is greater than the second absolute power of the second propagation signal, and (ii) that the first absolute time delay of the first propagation signal is less than the second absolute time delay of the second propagation signal. Alternatively or additionally, for the first and second propagation signals corresponding to the reference signal, the report indicates (i) the power difference between the first and second propagation signals, and (ii) the relative time delay between the first and second propagation signals, wherein the first propagation signal has a stronger absolute power than the second propagation signal, and wherein the report further indicates the stronger absolute power and absolute time delay of the first propagation signal.

[0095] As mentioned above Figure 8-10As described above, the device can issue a single report including the power delay distributions of different reference signals received from multiple base stations, or it can issue a report for each power delay distribution (e.g., a report for each base station). In the former case, the function at block 1306 includes a device that includes, in the report and based on signaling information, a second power and time delay distribution corresponding to a second plurality of propagated signals received from the second base station (e.g., corresponding to a second reference signal transmitted by the second base station). In the latter case, the function at block 1306 includes generating a second report based on signaling information (if a signaling message is received for all base stations) or based on second signaling information (if a signaling message is received for each base station), wherein the second report includes the second power and time delay of the second plurality of propagated signals received from the second base station.

[0096] The components used to perform the function at box 1304 may include software and / or hardware components of the device, such as Figure 15 The device 1500 shown and described in more detail below includes a bus 1505, one or more processing units 1510, a DSP 1520, a wireless communication interface 1530, a memory 1560, and / or other components.

[0097] At box 1306, the function includes sending a report to a network entity, wherein the report includes power and time delay distributions. The network entity determines the location of the device based on the report. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may determine the location based on the report and optionally on auxiliary information, wherein auxiliary information may be received from the network entity based on the report. If a second report is generated (a report specific to a second reference signal, or equivalently, a report specific to a second base station), the function at box 1308 further includes sending a second report to the network entity, wherein the location of the device is further determined based on the second report.

[0098] The components used to perform the function at box 1306 may include software and / or hardware components of the device, such as Figure 15 The device 1500 shown and described in more detail below includes a bus 1505, one or more processing units 1510, a DSP 1520, a wireless communication interface 1530, a memory 1560, and / or other components.

[0099] As mentioned above Figure 11The device can receive beam information and sensor outputs from a base station and transmit the beam information and sensor outputs to a network entity. Therefore, the method can further include receiving beam information associated with a base station transmission reference signal from the base station and transmitting the beam information to a network entity, wherein the network entity (or device) further determines the device's location based on the beam information. The function can also include receiving sensor information associated with a sensor sensing user equipment from a sensor associated with the base station and transmitting the sensor information to a network entity, wherein the network entity (or device) further determines the device's location based on the sensor information.

[0100] In this scenario, the network entity (or device) further determines the device's location based on a fusion algorithm with inputs including reports, beam information, and sensor information. In one example, the fusion algorithm selects a reference signal received from a base station for each base station based on the corresponding power and time delay of the reference signal from the reports. In another example, the fusion algorithm selects a reference signal received from a base station for each base station based on at least one of beam information or sensor information. In yet another example, the fusion algorithm selects a reference signal received from a base station for each base station and determines the weight of the selected reference signal based on the corresponding power of the selected propagation from the reports, wherein the network entity (or device) further determines the device's location based on the weight of the selected propagation.

[0101] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for determining device location according to an embodiment. The method can represent a method for locating a device implemented by a network entity. The network entity can be a base station, a location server, another UE, or another component of a cellular network. Thus, Figure 14 The functions shown in the box can be performed by network entities. Furthermore, the components used to perform these functions may include... Figure 16 The hardware and / or software components of network entity 1600 shown. Additionally, it can be noted that, with the other appendices... Figure 1 Like this, provide Figure 14 This is a non-limiting example. Other embodiments may vary depending on the desired functionality. For example, the functional blocks shown in the method may be combined, separated, or rearranged to suit different embodiments.

[0102] At box 1402, this function includes sending signaling information to the device, wherein the signaling information indicates one or more parameters for reporting reference signals. In one example, the network entity sends (e.g., within the device's RF range) signaling information from all base stations communicating with the device, such as... Figure 6As shown. In this example, one or more parameters identify one or more base stations for which power and time delay measurements are to be included in the report. One or more parameters further identify a power threshold associated with reporting power and time delay measurements for each base station, wherein a first power and a first time delay of a first propagating signal are included in the report when a first power is determined to exceed the power threshold. Additionally, one or more parameters further identify the maximum number of propagating signals to be measured for each base station, wherein the report includes a total number of power measurements for each base station that are equal to or less than the maximum number. In the illustration, one or more parameters include a list of cells and / or RRHs used to measure PTDP (including a QCL indication for each cell), a power threshold for the taps reported in the PTDP (e.g., ...), Figure 3 The power threshold (330) and the maximum number of propagated signals that each base station must report. In another example, the network entity is the base station, which issues base station-specific signaling information, such as... Figure 7 As shown. The device also receives applicable signaling information from each of the other base stations (e.g., second signaling information from a second base station). In this document, the signaling information for each base station may include, for example, the power threshold of a tap reported in PTDP (e.g., Figure 3 The power threshold (330) and the maximum number of propagated signals to be reported.

[0103] The components used to perform the function at box 1402 may include software and / or hardware components of the network entity, such as Figure 16 The network entity 1600 shown and described in more detail below includes a bus 1605, one or more processing units 1610, a DSP 1620, a wireless communication interface 1630, a memory 1660, and / or other components.

[0104] At box 1404, the function includes receiving a report from the device based on signaling information, wherein the report includes the power and time delay distribution of one or more reference signals received by the device from one or more base stations, and wherein the power and time delay distribution of each of the one or more reference signals includes power and time delay information corresponding to each of the one or more propagated signals of the respective reference signal. In one example, the report includes the power and time delay distribution of the reference signals. For example, the power and time delay distribution identifies the absolute power and absolute time delay of each reference signal received by the device from the base station. Furthermore, depending on the physical environment, for a first propagated signal corresponding to a line-of-sight transmission from the base station and a second propagated signal corresponding to a reflection of the first reference signal, the report indicates (i) that a first absolute power of the first propagated signal is greater than a second absolute power of the second propagated signal, and (ii) that a first absolute time delay of the first propagated signal is less than a second absolute time delay of the second propagated signal. Alternatively or additionally, for the first propagation signal and the second propagation received from the base station, the report indicates (i) the power difference between the first propagation signal and the second propagation information, and (ii) the relative time delay between the first propagation signal and the second propagation signal, wherein the first propagation signal has the strongest absolute power, and wherein the report further indicates the strongest absolute power and the absolute time delay of the first propagation signal.

[0105] As mentioned above Figure 8-10 As described above, the device can issue a single report including the power and time delay distributions of different reference signals transmitted by different base stations, or it can issue a report for each power and time delay distribution. In the former case, the function at block 1404 includes the network entity receiving a report common to all base stations, wherein the report further includes a second power and time delay distribution corresponding to a second plurality of propagated signals corresponding to the second reference signal received by the device from the second base station when the second base station transmits the second reference signal for the second time. In the latter case, the function at block 1404 includes receiving a second report from the device, wherein the second report includes a second power and time delay distribution corresponding to a second plurality of propagated signals received from the second base station when the second base station transmits the second reference signal, and wherein the location of the device is further determined based on the second report.

[0106] The components used to perform the function at box 1404 may include software and / or hardware components of the network entity, such as Figure 16 The network entity 1600 shown and described in more detail below includes a bus 1605, one or more processing units 1610, a DSP 1620, a wireless communication interface 1630, a memory 1660, and / or other components.

[0107] At box 1406, the functionality includes determining the device's location based on the report. In one example, the network entity uses only the report (or only reports from various received sources) to derive the device's location based on a multilateral positioning estimate. In another example, the network entity uses additional types of information, such as beam information and sensor outputs, to derive the location based on a fusion algorithm.

[0108] In a later example, the method further includes receiving beam information associated with a reference signal transmitted by the base station or device, wherein the location of the device is also determined based on the beam information. The method further includes receiving sensor information associated with sensor sensing of a user equipment (as associated with the base station) from the base station or device, wherein the network entity further determines the location of the device based on the sensor information.

[0109] The device's location is further determined based on a fusion algorithm that takes into account inputs including reports, beam information, and sensor information. In one example, the fusion algorithm selects a reference signal for each base station based on the corresponding propagation power and time delay from the reports. In another example, the fusion algorithm selects a reference signal for each base station based on at least one of beam information or sensor information. In yet another example, the fusion algorithm selects a reference signal for each base station and determines the weight of the selected reference signal based on the corresponding power from the reports, wherein the network entity further determines the device's location based on the weight of the selected reference signal.

[0110] The components used to perform the function at box 1406 may include software and / or hardware components of the network entity, such as Figure 16 The network entity 1600 shown and described in more detail below includes a bus 1605, one or more processing units 1610, a DSP 1620, a wireless communication interface 1630, a memory 1660, and / or other components.

[0111] Figure 15 This is a block diagram of one embodiment of device 1500, which can be described and combined as in the embodiments described herein. Figure 1-14 Use. Specifically, Figure 15 The device 1500 can correspond to any type of device discussed in the above embodiments, including Figure 1 UE 120 (and other UEs and / or mobile devices described herein). It should be noted that... Figure 15 This is merely a general description of the various components of the device 1500, any or all of which may be used appropriately.

[0112] Device 1500 is shown as including hardware elements that may be electrically coupled (or otherwise communicated) via bus 1505. The hardware elements may include one or more processing units 1510, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as digital signal processing (DSP) chips, graphics accelerator processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), and / or other processing structures or components that may be configured to perform one or more methods described herein. Figure 15 As shown, depending on the desired functionality, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1520. Device 1500 may also include one or more input devices 1570, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more touchscreens, touchpads, microphones, buttons, dials, switches, etc.; and one or more output devices 1515, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more displays, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, etc.

[0113] Device 1500 may also include a wireless communication interface 1530, which may include, but is not limited to, a modem, network card, infrared communication device, wireless communication device and / or chipset (such as Bluetooth). This wireless communication interface enables device 1500 to communicate via the methods described herein (including devices such as IEEE 1502.11 devices, IEEE 1502.15.4 devices, Wi-Fi devices, WiMAX™ devices, cellular communication facilities, etc.). Figure 1 The described network (e.g., via a base station) enables communication. The wireless communication interface 1530 allows data communication with networks, base stations (e.g., eNB, ng-eNB, and / or gNB) and / or other TRPs, network components, computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices described herein. Communication can be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 1532 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 1534.

[0114] Depending on the desired functionality, the wireless communication interface 1530 may include a separate base station for communicating with base stations (e.g., eNB, ng-eNB, and / or gNB) and other terrestrial base stations (such as wireless devices and access points). The device 1500 may communicate with various data networks, including a variety of network types. For example, a WWAN may be a CDMA network, a TDMA network, an FDMA network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) network, a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) network, WiMax (IEEE 1502.16), etc. A CDMA network may implement one or more RATs, such as cdma2000, W-CDMA, etc. Cdma2000 includes IS-95, IS-2000, and / or IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement GSM, Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (D-AMPS), or certain other RATs. An OFDMA network may employ LTE, Advanced LTE, NR, etc. 5G, LTE, Advanced LTE, NR, GSM, and WCDMA are described in 3GPP documents. Cdma2000 is described in documents from an alliance called the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2). The 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. The wireless local area network (WLAN) can also be an IEEE 802.11x network, and the wireless personal area network (WPAN) can be a Bluetooth network, IEEE 802.15x, or some other type of network. The technologies described herein can also be used in any combination of WWAN, WLAN, and / or WPAN.

[0115] Device 1500 may also include one or more sensors 1540. Such sensors may include, but are not limited to, one or more inertial sensors (e.g., one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, and / or other inertial measurement units (IMUs)), one or more cameras, one or more magnetometers, compasses, one or more altimeters, one or more microphones, one or more proximity sensors, one or more light sensors, barometers, etc., some of which may be used to complement and / or enhance the functionality described herein.

[0116] Embodiments of device 1500 may also include a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver 1580, which is capable of receiving signals 1584 from one or more GNSS satellites using a GNSS antenna 1582 (which in some implementations may be combined with antenna(s) 1532). This positioning can be used to complement and / or combine with the techniques described herein. The GNSS receiver 1580 can extract the positioning of device 1500 from GNSS satellites of GNSS systems such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Compass, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) over Japan, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) over India, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) over China, etc., using conventional techniques. Furthermore, the GNSS receiver 1580 can use various enhancement systems (e.g., satellite-based enhancement systems (SBAS)) that can be associated with or otherwise support use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. By way of example and not limitation, SBAS may include one or more augmentation systems that provide integrity information, differential correction, etc., such as Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), European Geosynchronous Navigation Coverage Service (EGNOS), Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), GPS-Assisted Geo-Augmented Navigation, or GPS and Geo-Augmented Navigation System (GAGAN). Therefore, as used herein, GNSS may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems and / or augmentation systems, and GNSS signals may include GNSS, GNSS-like signals, and / or other signals associated with one or more such GNSS systems.

[0117] The device 1500 may further include and / or communicate with one or more memories, including memory 1560. Memory 1560 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network-accessible memory, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as random access memory (RAM), and / or read-only memory (ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, or have similar functionality. Such a storage device can be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0118] The memory 1560 of device 1500 may also include software elements (not shown), including an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code, such as one or more application programs, which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments, and / or may be designed to implement methods, and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more programs described above may be implemented as code and / or instructions executable by device 1500 (e.g., using processing unit(s) 1510). In one aspect, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adjust a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0119] Figure 16 An embodiment of network entity 1600 that can be used as described above is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 16 This is merely a general description of the various components provided, and any or all of them may be used appropriately. In some embodiments, network entity 1600 may correspond to a gNB, ng-eNB, eNB, and / or a location server. Thus, the network entity may or may not have features such as Figure 16 The wireless communication interface shown is 1630.

[0120] Network entity 1600 is shown as including hardware elements that may be electrically coupled (or otherwise communicated) via bus 1605. The hardware elements may include one or more processing units 1610, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as DSP chips, graphics accelerator processors, ASICs, etc.), and / or other processing structures or components. Figure 16 As shown, depending on the desired functionality, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1620. According to some embodiments, location determination and / or other determination based on wireless communication may be provided in one or more processing units 1610 and / or wireless communication interface 1630 (discussed below). Network entity 1600 may also include one or more input devices, which may include, but are not limited to, a keyboard, display, mouse, microphone, one or more buttons, one or more dial pads, one or more switches, etc.; and one or more output devices, which may include, but are not limited to, a display, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, etc.

[0121] As described herein, network entity 1600 may also include wireless communication interface 1630, which may include, but is not limited to, modems, network interface cards, infrared communication devices, wireless communication devices and / or chipsets (such as Bluetooth). The wireless communication interface 1630 enables network entity 1600 to communicate, including devices (IEEE 802.11 devices, IEEE 802.15.4 devices, Wi-Fi devices, WiMAX devices, cellular communication facilities, etc.). The wireless communication interface 1630 allows devices, other base stations (e.g., eNB, gNB, and ng-eNB), and / or other TRPs, network components, computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices described herein to transmit (e.g., send and receive) data and signaling. Communication can be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 1632 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 1634.

[0122] Network entity 1600 may also include network interface 1680, which may include support for wired communication technologies. Network interface 1680 may include a modem, network interface card, chipset, etc. Network interface 1680 may include one or more input and / or output communication interfaces to allow data exchange with a network, a communication network server, a computer system, and / or any other electronic device described herein.

[0123] In many embodiments, network entity 1600 may also include memory 1660. Memory 1660 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network-accessible memory, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as RAM and / or ROM, which may be programmable, flash-updatable, or have similar functionality. Such storage devices can be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0124] The memory 1660 of network entity 1600 may also include software elements ( Figure 16 (Not shown), including operating systems, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code, such as one or more applications, which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments, and / or may be designed to implement methods, and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more programs described with respect to the above-described methods(s) may be implemented as code and / or instructions in memory 1660 executable by network entity 1600 (and / or one or more processing units 1610 or DSP 1620 within network entity 1600). In one aspect, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adjust a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0125] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantial changes can be made to suit specific needs. For example, custom hardware may be used, and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software such as applets), or both. Furthermore, connections to other computing devices, such as network input / output devices, may be employed.

[0126] Referring to the accompanying drawings, components that may include memory may include non-transitory machine-readable media. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable media" and "computer-readable media" refer to any storage medium that participates in providing data that enables a machine to operate in a particular manner. In the embodiments provided above, various machine-readable media may involve providing instructions / code to a processing unit and / or other devices(s) for execution. Additionally or alternatively, machine-readable media may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code. In many embodiments, computer-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, magnetic and / or optical media, any other physical media with a hole pattern, RAM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cassette memory, a carrier wave as described below, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or code.

[0127] The methods, systems, and devices described herein are examples. Various embodiments may be appropriately omitted, substituted, or added to various programs or components. For example, features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. Various components of the accompanying drawings provided herein may be embodied in hardware and / or software. Furthermore, technology is evolving, and therefore many elements are examples that do not limit the scope of this disclosure to those particular examples.

[0128] Sometimes, primarily for common reasons, it has proven convenient to refer to such signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, terms, numbers, numerical symbols, etc. However, it should be understood that all these or similar terms will be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, as is evident from the discussion above, it should be understood that the use of terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “identifying,” “identifying,” “associating,” “measuring,” and “performing” throughout this specification refers to the action or process of a specific device, such as a dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device. Therefore, in the context of this specification, a dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device is capable of controlling or converting signals, which are generally represented as physical electronic, electrical, or magnetic quantities within the memory, registers, or other information storage devices, transmission devices, or display devices of the dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device.

[0129] As used herein, the terms “and” and “or” can have a variety of meanings, which are also expected to depend at least in part on the context in which such terms are used. Generally, “or” when used in an associative list, such as A, B, or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C (in an inclusive sense) and A, B, or C (in an exclusive sense). Furthermore, the term “one or more” as used herein can be used to describe any feature, structure, or property in the singular, or to describe some combination of features, structures, or properties. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example and the claimed subject matter is not limited to this example. Additionally, the term “at least one” when used in an associative list, such as A, B, or C, can be interpreted as any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, AABBCCC, etc.

[0130] Several embodiments have been described, and various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. For example, the foregoing elements may simply be components of a larger system, in which other rules may be preferred or the application of various embodiments may be modified in other ways. Furthermore, numerous steps may be performed before, during, or after considering the foregoing elements. Therefore, the above description does not limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0131] In light of this description, embodiments may include different combinations of features. Examples of implementations are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0132] Clause 1. A method for reporting location-related information to a network entity, the method comprising: receiving signaling information indicating one or more parameters for reporting reference signals, wherein the one or more parameters identify one or more base stations; determining, based on the signaling information, a power and time delay distribution of one or more reference signals received from the one or more base stations, wherein the power and time delay distribution of each of the one or more reference signals includes power and time delay information corresponding to each of one or more propagated signals of the respective reference signal; and issuing a report to the network entity, wherein the report includes the power and time delay distribution.

[0133] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1, wherein one or more parameters further identify a power threshold associated with power and time delay measurements reported for each reference signal, and when it is determined that a first power exceeds the power threshold, a first power and a first time delay of the first reference signal are included in the report.

[0134] Clause 3. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-2, wherein one or more parameters further identify the maximum number of propagated signals to be measured at each base station; and the report includes the total number of power measurements at each base station that are equal to or less than the maximum number.

[0135] Clause 4. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-3, wherein signaling information is received from the network entity; a report is sent to the network entity; and the network entity determines the location of the device based on the report.

[0136] Clause 5. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-4, wherein the report indicates a first propagation signal and a second propagation signal corresponding to a reference signal in one or more reference signals received from a base station, (i) the power difference between the first propagation signal and the second propagation signal, and (ii) the relative time delay between the first propagation signal and the second propagation signal.

[0137] Clause 6. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-5 further includes determining a first propagating signal with the strongest absolute power among the propagating signals received from the base station; determining the absolute time delay of the first propagating signal; and including the strongest absolute power and the absolute time delay in the report.

[0138] Clause 7. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-6 further includes receiving from a first base station a first plurality of propagated signals corresponding to a first reference signal among one or more reference signals; receiving from a second base station a second plurality of propagated signals corresponding to a second reference signal among one or more reference signals; and, in the report and based on the signaling information, including a first power and time delay distribution corresponding to the first plurality of propagated signals and a second power and time delay distribution corresponding to the second plurality of propagated signals.

[0139] Clause 8. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-6 further includes receiving from a first base station a first plurality of propagated signals corresponding to a first reference signal among one or more reference signals; receiving from a second base station a second plurality of propagated signals corresponding to a second reference signal among one or more reference signals; issuing a first report including a first power and time delay distribution corresponding to the first plurality of propagated signals; and issuing a second report including a second power and time delay distribution corresponding to the second plurality of propagated signals.

[0140] Clause 9. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-8, wherein a report is sent to the network entity, the method further comprising: receiving beam information from a base station, the beam information being associated with a reference signal in one or more reference signals received from the base station; and sending the beam information to the network entity, wherein the network entity determines the location of the device based on the beam information and the report.

[0141] Clause 10. A method for locating a device, the method comprising: sending signaling information to the device, wherein the signaling information indicates one or more parameters for reporting reference signals; receiving a report from the device based on the signaling information, wherein the report includes power and time delay distributions of one or more reference signals received by the device from one or more base stations, and wherein the power and time delay distribution of each of the one or more reference signals includes power and time delay information corresponding to each of one or more propagated signals of the respective reference signal; and determining the location of the device based on the report.

[0142] Clause 11. The method according to Clause 10, wherein one or more parameters identify one or more base stations for which power and time delay measurements are to be included in the report.

[0143] Clause 12. The method according to any one of Clauses 10-11, wherein one or more parameters further identify a power threshold associated with power and time delay measurements reported for each reference signal, wherein a first power and a first time delay of the first reference signal are included in the report when it is determined that a first power exceeds the power threshold.

[0144] Clause 13. The method according to any one of Clauses 10-12, wherein the report includes the power and time delay distribution of each of one or more reference signals received from the base station.

[0145] Clause 14. The method according to any one of Clauses 10-13, wherein the report indicates a first propagation signal and a second propagation signal corresponding to a reference signal in one or more reference signals received by the device from a base station, (i) the power difference between the first propagation signal and the second propagation signal, and (ii) the relative time delay between the first propagation signal and the second propagation signal.

[0146] Clause 15. The method according to any one of Clauses 10-14 further includes receiving beam information from a base station or device associated with a reference signal transmitted from the base station to the device, wherein the location of the device is also determined based on the beam information.

[0147] Clause 16. An apparatus for reporting location-related information to a network entity, the apparatus comprising: a transceiver, one or more memories, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the one or more memories, the one or more processors being configured to: receive signaling information indicating one or more parameters for reporting reference signals, wherein the one or more parameters identify one or more base stations; determine, based on the signaling information, via the transceiver, a power and time delay distribution of one or more reference signals received from the one or more base stations, wherein the power and time delay distribution of each of the one or more reference signals includes power and time delay information corresponding to each of one or more propagated signals of the respective reference signal; and issue a report to the network entity via the transceiver, wherein the report includes the power and time delay distribution.

[0148] Clause 17. The device according to Clause 16, wherein one or more parameters further identify a power threshold associated with power and time delay measurements reported for each reference signal, and when it is determined that a first power exceeds the power threshold, a first power and a first time delay of the first reference signal are included in the report.

[0149] Clause 18. The device according to any one of Clauses 16-17, wherein one or more parameters further identify the maximum number of propagated signals to be measured at each base station; and the report includes the total number of power measurements at each base station that are equal to or less than the maximum number.

[0150] Clause 19. The device according to any one of Clauses 16-18, wherein the device receives signaling information from the network entity; issues a report to the network entity; and the network entity determines the location of the device based on the report.

[0151] Clause 20. The device according to any one of Clauses 16-19, wherein the report indicates a first propagated signal and a second propagated signal corresponding to a reference signal in one or more reference signals received from a base station, (i) the power difference between the first propagated signal and the second propagated signal, and (ii) the relative time delay between the first propagated signal and the second propagated signal.

[0152] Clause 21. The device according to any one of Clauses 16-20, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine a first propagating signal having the strongest absolute power among propagating signals received from a base station; determine the absolute time delay of the first propagating signal; and include the strongest absolute power and the absolute time delay in the report.

[0153] Clause 22. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 16-21, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive from a first base station a first plurality of propagated signals corresponding to a first reference signal among one or more reference signals; receive from a second base station a second plurality of propagated signals corresponding to a second reference signal among one or more reference signals; and, in the report and based on the signaling information, include a first power and time delay distribution corresponding to the first plurality of propagated signals and a second power and time delay distribution corresponding to the second plurality of propagated signals.

[0154] Clause 23. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 16-21, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive from a first base station a first plurality of propagated signals corresponding to a first reference signal among one or more reference signals; receive from a second base station a second plurality of propagated signals corresponding to a second reference signal among one or more reference signals; and transmit a first report including a first power and time delay distribution corresponding to the first plurality of propagated signals; and transmit a second report including a second power and time delay distribution corresponding to the second plurality of propagated signals.

[0155] Clause 24. The device according to any one of Clauses 16-23, wherein a report is sent to the network entity, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive beam information from a base station via a transceiver, the beam information being associated with a reference signal in one or more reference signals received from the base station; and send the beam information to the network entity, wherein the network entity determines the location of the device based on the beam information and the report.

[0156] Clause 25. A network entity for locating a device, the network entity comprising: a transceiver, one or more memories, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the one or more memories, the one or more processors being configured to: transmit signaling information to the device via the transceiver, wherein the signaling information indicates one or more parameters for reporting reference signals; receive a report from the device based on the signaling information, wherein the report includes power and time delay distributions of one or more reference signals received by the device from one or more base stations, and wherein the power and time delay distribution of each of the one or more reference signals includes power and time delay information corresponding to each of one or more propagated signals of the respective reference signal; and determine the location of the device based on the report.

[0157] Clause 26. A network entity as described in Clause 25, wherein one or more parameters identify one or more base stations for which power and time delay measurements are to be included in the report.

[0158] Clause 27. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 25-26, wherein one or more parameters further identify a power threshold associated with power and time delay measurements reported for each reference signal, wherein a first power and a first time delay of the first reference signal are included in the report when it is determined that a first power exceeds the power threshold.

[0159] Clause 28. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 25-27, wherein the report includes the power and time delay distribution of each of one or more reference signals received from a base station.

[0160] Clause 29. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 25-28, wherein the report indicates a first propagated signal and a second propagated signal corresponding to one or more reference signals received by the device from a base station, (i) the power difference between the first propagated signal and the second propagated signal, and (ii) the relative time delay between the first propagated signal and the second propagated signal.

[0161] Clause 30. A network entity according to any one of Clauses 25-29, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive beam information from a base station or device associated with a reference signal transmitted from the base station to the device, wherein the location of the device is further determined based on the beam information.

Claims

1. A method for reporting location-related information to a network entity, the method being performed by a user equipment (UE) to be located, the method comprising: Receive signaling information indicating one or more parameters for reporting a reference signal, wherein the one or more parameters include an identifier for one or more base stations to report the reference signal; Receive from the first base station a first plurality of propagated signals corresponding to the first reference signal; Receive a second plurality of propagated signals corresponding to the second reference signal from the second base station; Based on the signaling information, the power and time delay distribution of each of the first reference signal and the second reference signal is determined, wherein the power and time delay distribution of the first reference signal includes the power and time delay information of each of the first plurality of propagating signals, and the power and time delay distribution of the second reference signal includes the power and time delay information of each of the second plurality of propagating signals; and A report based on the signaling information is sent to the network entity, wherein: The report includes the power and time delay distribution of the first reference signal and the power and time delay distribution of the second reference signal, or The report includes a first report that includes the power and time delay distribution of the first reference signal, and the method further includes issuing a second report that includes the power and time delay distribution of the second reference signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more parameters also identify power thresholds associated with power and time delay measurements reported for each reference signal; and When it is determined that the first power of the first plurality of propagated signals exceeds the power threshold, the report includes the power and time delay distribution of the first reference signal.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The one or more parameters also identify the maximum number of propagated signals to be measured at each base station; and The report includes the total number of power measurements for each base station that are equal to or less than the maximum number.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Receive the signaling information from the network entity; Send the report to the network entity; and The location of the UE is determined by the network entity based on the report.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, For the first and second propagation signals of the first plurality of propagation signals, the report indicates: (i) the power difference between the first and second propagation signals, and (ii) the relative time delay between the first and second propagation signals.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Determine the first propagation signal among the plurality of propagation signals that has the strongest absolute power; Determine the absolute time delay of the first propagated signal; and The report includes the strongest absolute power and the absolute time delay.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The method further includes sending the report to the network entity. Receive beam information from the base station, the beam information being associated with the first reference signal; and The beam information is sent to the network entity, wherein the location of the UE is determined by the network entity based on the beam information and the report.

8. A method for locating a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Signaling information is sent to the UE, wherein the signaling information indicates one or more parameters for reporting a reference signal, the one or more parameters including an identifier for one or more base stations to report the reference signal; A report is received from the UE based on the signaling information, wherein the report includes the power and time delay distribution of reference signals received by the UE from the one or more base stations, and wherein the power and time delay distribution of each of the reference signals includes power and time delay information corresponding to each of the one or more propagated signals of the respective reference signal; and The location of the UE is determined based on the report, wherein: The report includes the power and time delay distribution of the first reference signal and the power and time delay distribution of the second reference signal, or The report includes a first report that includes the power and time delay distribution of the first reference signal, and the method further includes receiving a second report that includes the power and time delay distribution of a second reference signal that includes the reference signal.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The one or more parameters identify the one or more base stations for which power and time delay measurements are to be included in the report.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The one or more parameters further identify a power threshold associated with the power and time delay measurements reported for each reference signal, wherein the report includes the power and time delay distribution of the first reference signal when it is determined that a first power of the propagated signal corresponding to the first reference signal exceeds the power threshold.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The report includes the power and time delay distribution of each of the reference signals received from the base station.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein, For a first propagation signal and a second propagation signal corresponding to the first reference signal, the report indicates: (i) the power difference between the first propagation signal and the second propagation signal, and (ii) the relative time delay between the first propagation signal and the second propagation signal.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving beam information associated with the transmission of the first reference signal from the base station or the UE, wherein, The location of the UE is also determined based on the beam information.

14. A user equipment (UE) for reporting location-related information to a network entity, the UE being located, comprising: Memory; as well as One or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors being configured to cause the UE to: Receive signaling information indicating one or more parameters for reporting a reference signal, wherein the one or more parameters include an identifier for one or more base stations to report the reference signal; Receive a first plurality of propagated signals corresponding to a first reference signal from a first base station among the one or more base stations; Receive a second plurality of propagated signals corresponding to a second reference signal from a second base station among the one or more base stations; Based on the signaling information, the power and time delay distribution of each of the received first reference signal and second reference signal is determined, wherein the power and time delay distribution of the first reference signal includes the power and time delay information of each of the first plurality of propagating signals, and the power and time delay distribution of the second reference signal includes the power and time delay information of each of the second plurality of propagating signals; and A report based on the signaling information is sent to the network entity, wherein: The report includes the power and time delay distribution of the first reference signal and the power and time delay distribution of the second reference signal, or The report includes a first report that includes the power and time delay distribution of the first reference signal, and the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to issue a second report that includes the power and time delay distribution of the second reference signal.

15. The UE according to claim 14, wherein: The one or more parameters also identify power thresholds associated with power and time delay measurements reported for each reference signal; and When it is determined that the first power of the first plurality of propagated signals exceeds the power threshold, the report includes the power and time delay distribution of the first reference signal.

16. The UE according to claim 15, wherein: The one or more parameters also identify the maximum number of propagated signals to be measured at each base station; and The report includes the total number of power measurements for each base station that are equal to or less than the maximum number.

17. The UE according to claim 14, wherein: Receive the signaling information from the network entity; Send the report to the network entity; and The location of the UE is determined by the network entity based on the report.

18. The UE according to claim 14, wherein, For the first and second propagation signals of the first plurality of reference signals, the report indicates: (i) the power difference between the first and second propagation signals, and (ii) the relative time delay between the first and second propagation signals.

19. The UE according to claim 14, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to: The first propagation signal is determined to have the strongest absolute power among the first plurality of propagation signals; Determine the absolute time delay of the first propagated signal; and The report includes the strongest absolute power and the absolute time delay.

20. The UE of claim 14, wherein the report is sent to the network entity, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to: Receive beam information from the base station, the beam information being associated with the first reference signal; and The beam information is sent to the network entity, wherein, The location of the UE is determined by the network entity based on the beam information and the report.

21. A network entity for locating a user equipment (UE), the network entity comprising: Memory; as well as One or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors being configured to cause the network entity to: Signaling information is sent to the UE, wherein the signaling information indicates one or more parameters for reporting a reference signal, the one or more parameters including an identifier for one or more base stations to report the reference signal; A report is received from the UE based on the signaling information, wherein the report includes the power and time delay distribution of reference signals received by the UE from the one or more base stations, and wherein the power and time delay distribution of each of the reference signals includes power and time delay information corresponding to each of the one or more propagated signals of the respective reference signal; and The location of the UE is determined based on the report, wherein: The report includes the power and time delay distribution of the first reference signal and the power and time delay distribution of the second reference signal, or The report includes a first report that includes the power and time delay distribution of the first reference signal, and the one or more processors are further configured to cause the network entity to receive a second report that includes the power and time delay distribution of the second reference signal.

22. The network entity according to claim 21, wherein, The one or more parameters identify the one or more base stations for which power and time delay measurements are to be included in the report.

23. The network entity according to claim 22, wherein, The one or more parameters further identify a power threshold associated with the power and time delay measurements reported for each reference signal, wherein the report includes the power and time delay distribution of the first reference signal when it is determined that a first power of the propagated signal corresponding to the first reference signal exceeds the power threshold.

24. The network entity according to claim 21, wherein, The report includes the power and time delay distribution of each of the reference signals received from the base station.

25. The network entity according to claim 21, wherein, For a first propagation signal and a second propagation signal corresponding to the first reference signal, the report indicates: (i) the power difference between the first propagation signal and the second propagation signal, and (ii) the relative time delay between the first propagation signal and the second propagation signal.

26. The network entity according to claim 21, wherein, The one or more processors are also configured to cause the network entity to: The UE receives beam information associated with the transmission of the first reference signal from the base station or the UE, wherein the location of the UE is also determined based on the beam information.

27. An apparatus for reporting location-related information to a network entity, the apparatus comprising components for performing the method of any one of claims 1-7.

28. An apparatus for positioning a device, the apparatus comprising components for performing the method of any one of claims 8-13.

29. A computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, wherein the program code is executable by one or more processors to cause the processors to perform the method of any one of claims 1-13.

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